Josh Giddey believes Norman Powell will make life easier for Bulls

Josh Giddey likes what the Bulls have done this offseason.

He may be particularly excited about Norman Powell.

Chicago signed Powell in free agency after an All-Star season, adding another proven scorer to a roster that has undergone significant changes. And Giddey believes Powell’s presence should make his own job considerably easier.

“I think for me specifically, I think he’s going to help me a lot,” Giddey told DJ Siddiqi of RG.org. “He’s going to take a lot of attention off me. He has a lot of gravity, obviously, with the way he shoots and scores the ball.”

That’s probably the interesting part for Chicago.

Giddey is at his best when he’s creating, and surrounding him with another scorer who demands defensive attention should give him more room to operate.

Powell brings some experience, too. He’s an NBA champion and coming off the best season of his career, something Giddey pointed to when discussing what he’ll add.

Meanwhile, Giddey also expects a significant step from third-year forward Matas Buzelis, calling him “one of the harder working kids I’ve seen” and saying this season presents an opportunity for Buzelis to take on a larger role.

The Bulls also added lottery picks Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain and traded for Nic Claxton.

So, yeah, this isn’t quite the same Chicago team.

Now Giddey believes the Bulls have enough to become a playoff team.

“We’ve got more than enough to be competitive in this league,” he said.