Josh Giddey | Chicago Bulls Post-Game | Feb. 12, 2022
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00:00You guys were able to get off to a really strong start tonight,
00:02second out of a back-to-back of a really good team.
00:04Just what did you feel out there
00:05to get the things going early for you guys?
00:07Yeah, you know, it started well, I think.
00:11Out the gates, we made them kind of play
00:12to their secondary options.
00:13You know, DeRozan, I mean, the second half,
00:16DeRozan was doing whatever he wanted,
00:17but that first, you know, quarter and a bit,
00:19I think we made him make, I mean, he makes tough shots,
00:21but we, you know, base-blocked his shot.
00:23We made him miss some tough ones.
00:25But I think in that second half, you know, me, you know,
00:28I think we were late in rotations
00:30when they were posting Vujicic up.
00:32DeRozan, we needed to be tighter in our shells,
00:34make him see presence, but at the end of the day,
00:36those guys made tough shots.
00:37I think for the most part, we competed well,
00:39but you see, again, good teams like this,
00:41it requires a full 48 minutes, which we didn't put together.
00:44Yeah, and just to go back to that defense,
00:46you guys had 10 blocks tonight in base.
00:48Isaiah, Poku, all of them had over three.
00:50Just what led to that and what was kind of the emphasis
00:53on that in the fourth for you guys?
00:54Yeah, you know, that's, you know, when,
00:57especially when Vujicic is getting it down low,
00:58we know he's a, you know, he's a score-first mentality.
01:01So, you know, that we're able to get tips on that.
01:04Baze is an elite defender.
01:05He gets one of the toughest matchups every night
01:07and he does his job.
01:09So he's great around the ring, but there's other guys,
01:10you know, just chipping in, rotations,
01:12being in that low man spot, you know,
01:14it allows them to make plays on the ring and, you know,
01:16Karrick and Poku are both big, so, Roby, sorry.
01:19So it allows them to play above the ring and stop shots.
01:22Josh, would you think of the fact that Baze
01:26is guarding DeRozan's sub-possessions
01:28and Vujicic's sub-possessions?
01:30I mean, he just seems to be a Swiss army knife,
01:33like the guy you can put anywhere.
01:34Yeah, he's really versatile.
01:36As I said, he's an elite defender.
01:38He's long, he's quick, he's athletic, great laterally.
01:42And, you know, he guards one through five.
01:43He was on Kobe White for a little bit,
01:44DeRozan, Vujicic, so he can guard anyone.
01:47And it's a real luxury to have,
01:49especially when we've got Lou,
01:50who's going to usually guard that primary ball handler,
01:52and then we can kind of put Baze on our next best,
01:54whether it's a one-man or whether it's a five-man,
01:56it doesn't matter, so luxury to have,
01:58and he was awesome for us.
02:00For you as the guy that's on the ball a lot,
02:02if a team is putting a different defender on you primarily
02:06as the course of the night goes on, can that bother you,
02:09you know, the way that you all mix
02:11and match Baze's assignments?
02:12Yeah, I mean, it's different.
02:14Like, Dasumu was kind of backing off it,
02:16that the guy off the bench that came in
02:18was kind of picking me up full court.
02:19So different guys play differently,
02:22pick the ball up differently, so just adjusting to that.
02:24It usually takes me one possession.
02:25I figure out what they're doing.
02:27But, I mean, over the course of the night,
02:28you're going to see different, you know,
02:29teams go under, teams chase over.
02:31So, you know, every game, every possession,
02:33you're going to see a different coverage,
02:34and it's just about kind of adjusting on the fly,
02:36and that's the role of a point guard,
02:38I guess, is being able to kind of dictate
02:39what the defense is doing and trying to exploit it.
02:42Josh, I know it might become routine for you at some point,
02:45but just your thoughts on getting
02:46your second triple-double tonight.
02:48Yeah, I mean, as Mark would say, skittles.
02:50But, yeah, I mean, it's cool.
02:52I would have been happy if it came in a win,
02:54but, I mean, my teammates do a good job
02:56of getting in the right spots, making shots,
02:58so they make me look good.
03:00Super random question.
03:01With the Super Bowl tomorrow, I'm just curious,
03:03how did you become a fan of American football?
03:08I think, that's a good question.
03:10I think on Sunday, one Sunday, I turned the TV on,
03:13and I couldn't find anything to watch,
03:14and I put the football on, and I just loved it.
03:18I think it was Mahomes was the guy that was playing.
03:21And ever since then, I've loved football.
03:22I've kind of understood it more.
03:24I went to a few OU football games,
03:26and I was standing on the sideline,
03:28and it's really kind of, when you're there,
03:30you understand the game, and you pick things up a bit more.
03:32So, at the start, I had no idea what was happening,
03:34but as I gradually picked the game up a bit more,
03:36I've started to love it and watch it all the time.
03:38I'll be watching tomorrow, so I'm a big NFL fan.
03:41Are your eyes usually on the quarterback
03:43and just trying to see what they're seeing out there?
03:44Yeah, I mean, the quarterback's
03:46obviously my favorite to watch, just the way they pass,
03:49and especially the elite ones like Mahomes.
03:52Yeah, I love watching him, but, yeah,
03:53quarterbacks in general, just the way they kind of
03:55lead their teammates to the ball.
03:57You know, you have to have a vision of the whole field
04:00to hit your wide receivers or whoever it is.
04:02So, yeah, quarterbacks are definitely people I watch.
04:04Being on the sidelines in Norman
04:06and Stillwater College Football,
04:08obviously a huge deal in Oklahoma,
04:10what have you thought of those atmospheres?
04:12It's awesome.
04:13I was sideline at the OU versus Oklahoma State game.
04:17That was in OU, and that was awesome.
04:19I mean, the atmosphere is crazy.
04:21I knew how big college football was,
04:23but it was my first-ever game going through,
04:24so, yeah, it was an awesome atmosphere to be in.
04:27Your next game will be at the Mecca of basketball,
04:29Madison Square Garden.
04:31Would that mean anything, actually, to you?
04:33For sure.
04:34You know, it's probably the most famous arena in the world.
04:36That's one game I've had circled on my calendar for a while.
04:39Been looking forward to going to the Garden,
04:40so the Knicks are no joke.
04:42They're a tough team to play against.
04:43This is a tough road trip.
04:45We've played three really good teams, New York included,
04:47so we're going to have to bring it
04:48for 48 minutes to get that game.
04:52Anyone else?
04:53We have one last question on the Zoom.
04:55Go ahead, Andrew.
04:59Just curious, your thoughts on Aaron Wiggins
05:03getting a full-time contract with the Thunder
05:06and kind of your perspective
05:07on his journey through his rookie season.
05:10Yeah, love Wiggs. Happy for the kid.
05:12He deserves it. He's done his role.
05:15I mean, from the 55th pick, you know,
05:17when you come into a team, you're probably uncertain
05:18of whether you're going to be in the G League,
05:21whether you're going to be getting minutes in the rotation,
05:22and to Wiggs' credit, he's stuck with it all year.
05:25Wasn't playing a lot at the start,
05:26then moved into a starting role.
05:29When Lou was out, was put on the best player every night.
05:32So Wiggs is awesome. He's a great kid.
05:33He works hard.
05:34You know, you never hear someone say a bad word about him,
05:37so really happy for him, and he deserves it.
05:41Thanks, guys.