Chicago Bulls star guard Josh Giddey is nearing a return after being sidelined the past three weeks with a strained left hamstring, coach Billy Donovan told reporters on Tuesday.
Josh Giddey Suffered Injury Against Wolves
Speaking before Tuesday’s home matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, Donovan said that Giddey could return at Minnesota on Thursday after missing 11 straight games.
“Feels pretty good,” Donovan said. “I think it’s just waiting to hear from the medical of what they want to do and how Josh feels. But everything that I’ve gotten from Josh in medical is that there were no setbacks and he’s doing well.”
He was upgraded to questionable before Tuesday’s Clippers game.
Giddey suffered his injury in a Dec. 31 loss to the Timberwolves at the United Center. He walked off the court gingerly in the first minute of the second half after scoring 11 points.
Josh Giddey is out tonight, but Billy says he has progressed well and there’s a possibility he will be back on Thursday in Minnesota
Patrick Williams is out
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) January 20, 2026
Chicago acquired Giddey in the 2024 trade deal that sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 6-foot-7 guard has performed at an All-Star level in his second season in Chicago since that trade.
Through 30 games (all starts) this season, Giddey is averaging career highs of 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 32.8 minutes per contest while shooting 46.6% from the field and a career-best 38.6% from deep.
The 23-year-old has seven triple-doubles as well.
“I don’t know what the cutoff point is in terms of missed games and things like that, but before he got hurt, I think you could certainly make the argument he was playing at that level for strong consideration,” Donovan said.
Giddey Signed Multi-Year Extension With Bulls
In 70 games (69 starts) last season with the Bulls, he averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per outing. The Australian also shot 46.5% from the floor and 37.8% from outside the arc.
Per ESPN Stats & Information, Giddey posted seven triple-doubles in 2024-25, the second most in a season in Bulls franchise history, trailing Michael Jordan in 1988-89 (15).
Despite missing the playoffs for a third straight year, Chicago won 15 of its last 20 games of the regular season. The Bulls are seeking their first playoff appearance since 2021-22.
In September, Giddey and the Bulls finally resolved their contract stalemate when the former No. 6 overall pick of the 2021 draft agreed to a four-year, $100 million deal.
His previous deal was the four-year, $27.21 million rookie-scale contract he signed with OKC in August 2021.
