Josh Giddey returns after a four-game absence

The Chicago Bulls will welcome back their leading guard on Saturday night.

According to Billy Donovan and confirmed by the official injury report, Josh Giddey will return to the floor against the Milwaukee Bucks. The 22-year-old has missed the last four games due to an ankle sprain he suffered on December 16 against the Toronto Raptors.

The Bulls definitely feel like they dodged a bullet with Giddey’s prediction. The initial injury he sustained while fending off a shooter in the corner looked pretty serious. Giddey lay on the floor in clear pain before medical staff had to help him back to the locker room. Still, he told reporters he hoped to return after just a two-game absence, but the Bulls appeared to take a more cautious approach, using him against Milwaukee and Atlanta earlier this week.

The question now is whether Giddey can pick up where he left off. The guard had been playing some of his best basketball before suffering the injury, averaging 12.1 points, 7.7 assists and 6.7 rebounds on a much-improved 53.0 percent shooting percentage in his last 12 games. Even better, he showed significantly more effort on the defensive side of the ball, totaling 13 steals in his last seven games.

For the sake of both sides, let’s hope Giddey can continue to make progress in his efficiency and defensive focus. His restricted free agency will be here sooner than we realize, and the Bulls need as many healthy games as possible to assess his future with the franchise.

Matas Buzelis and Lonzo Ball will also return on Saturday evening. Buzelis missed the Bulls’ previous game against the Hawks, while Ball sat out the last two games.