Tag: Defensively

The pack always will look for the weak.

It will sniff them out, track them and strike time and time again.

It’s the law of the jungle. And, as Bulls guard Zach LaVine said, life in the NBA, where you’re either the hunter or the hunted.

Guess which of those Bulls guard Josh Giddey was? Put it this way: He wasn’t doing much hunting.

Giddey admitted as much in November, when he was pulled for his poor defense after the Cavaliers sought him out and went at him in a 144-126 victory against the Bulls.

‘‘Just didn’t guard well enough, myself right on top of that list — probably one, two and three on that list,’’ Giddey said afterward.

It was his rock bottom.

Fast-forward to late in the Bulls’ 116-111 victory Saturday against the Bucks. Giddey was isolated against the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and pressured him into missing a potential tying jumper with 12 seconds left. He then grabbed the rebound and sealed the victory from the free-throw line.

That’s why when Giddey — who finished with a triple-double — was asked afterward whether he was more proud of his late offense or his late defense, he didn’t hesitate.

‘‘Definitely the defense,’’ he replied.

It has taken three-plus seasons — definitely way too long — but Giddey finally had an awakening.

‘‘I’d say that game in Cleveland was probably the turning point,’’ Giddey said. ‘‘I was like, ‘Damn, I’ve got to . . . ’ I mean, eventually as a player, the fork kind of gets pitched in the road where it’s kind of like, ‘I’ve played four years in the league, and you kind of start to become who you are.’ That game kind of played in my mind for a while, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to make a stand on that side of the ball.’

‘‘It’s the effort, and that’s not where it needed to be. It’s something I really wanted to take pride in. Some guys are naturally gifted on that side of the ball, and other guys require a lot of effort. I definitely fall into that category.’’

It not only took effort, but it also required a heart-to-heart with coach Billy Donovan and a lot of film study. And while Giddey isn’t about to make anyone forget about defensive ace Alex Caruso, the player the Bulls traded to acquire Giddey from the Thunder, his showing against the Bucks offered some optimism about his defense.

‘‘I’ve seen growth in that area, and I’ve seen more competitiveness in that area,’’ Donovan said of Giddey. ‘‘He’s got good size, good length, [good] feet. The biggest thing is how he can navigate screening actions and get over it. He’s capable, but he has to do it consistently.’’

Now, before anyone starts nominating Giddey for a spot on the All-Defensive team, it’s important to point out that he was in the situation he was Saturday because Middleton sought him out and because Ayo Dosunmu was sidelined with a calf injury.

The real test will come when the Bulls are fully healthy again. Will Donovan lean on Giddey defensively in that situation the next time? Giddey hopes so.

‘‘I watched video, but there’s only so much film you can watch,’’ Giddey said of his turnaround on defense. ‘‘It’s your will and your want to do it. I flipped that switch, and I want to do it now.

‘‘[I want to] make an emphasis of standing my ground and not being the weak link on that side of the ball.’’