100 million US dollars in 4 years! Only 3 points in his debut! After realizing his talent at the buzzer, will the all-around point guard become invisible again?

On October 8, the NBA preseason continued, and the Bulls ushered in their first match against the Cavaliers in the new season. At the beginning of the game, the Cavaliers quickly entered the rhythm of the game, and as soon as they came up, they took the lead with an 11-3 offensive and established a leading advantage early. In contrast, the Bulls' offense completely stagnated in the first half of the quarter, and it was difficult to work whether it was outside shooting or inside breakthroughs. The score difference was quickly widened to double digits by the Cavaliers. In the second quarter, the two teams fell into a tug-of-war, and the score difference always fluctuated around about 10 points. However, at the end of the quarter, the Cavaliers suddenly experienced a cliff-like decline in hit rate. The Bulls seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. A 13-0 offensive frenzy directly reversed the situation and successfully overtook it. After halftime, the scores of the two teams were frozen at 57-57 and returned to the same starting line.

The change of sides and the fight again, the Bulls took the lead in finding the offensive feeling and gained a short advantage with a more efficient ending. But in the second half of the third quarter, Cavaliers player Craig Porter suddenly broke out in form, scoring 11 points in 4 of 4 shots in a single quarter, helping the Cavaliers regain their lead with no blind spots. In the final quarter, the Cavaliers once firmly controlled the rhythm of the game and always held the lead. But at the critical moment, the Cavaliers made fatal mistakes frequently, and the Bulls seized the opponent's loophole and completed the overtake again. After that, Trevors walked onto the free throw line but only hit 1 goal, failing to help the Cavaliers tie the score. Although Kawamura Yuki failed to hit a three-point attempt in the last moment, Cavaliers player Bryant made two final layups by the Bulls' defense. In the end, the Bulls withstood the pressure and narrowly defeated the Cavaliers 118-117 with a slight advantage, successfully winning a good start to the new season.

However, despite winning, Bulls fans are not happy. Josh Gidy, who signed a buzzer of $100 million in the summer of 4 years, has a poor data in this game. He played for 13 minutes and 32 seconds, 1 of 4 shots, 0 of 2 shots, and scored 3 points and 3 rebounds. Fortunately, he sent 5 assists and 3 steals, and his personal plus or negative value was -7! Obviously, data like Joshgidi does not match his value. It has to be admitted that Joshgidi was lucky. With his quasi-triple double-double average of 20.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 9.0 assists in March, he completed a gorgeous counterattack in desperate situations - from a mediocre player who averaged 12+6+4 per game to an all-round core close to "20+9+9", and finally won a four-year, full guarantee contract of 100 million US dollars.

Gidy's basketball path has been carrying a "talent filter" from the beginning. At the 2018 Asian Basketball Borderless Event, the 15-year-old entered the public's vision for the first time - a height of 1.93 meters, but he had ball-control skills far exceeding his peers' age. His passing vision was so wide that he could predict the running position of his teammates, and his ability to read the game even surprised the coach on the spot. At that time, the director of the NBA International Basketball Operations Center praised him without hesitation: "This child will definitely become an All-Star in the future." He immediately handed him a scholarship from the Global Academy. This recognition became the first cornerstone of Gidey's pursuit of the NBA dream.

During his days at the NBA Global Academy, Gidey completely unleashed his talent. He led the team to win championships many times and he was repeatedly elected as MVP. Every pass and every organization, people can see the shadow of "Magician" Johnson. At the age of 18, he entered the professional arena and delivered comprehensive data per game of 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the first season - rebounds are more active than inside players and assists are more accurate than traditional point guards. Such performance made him selected by the Thunder with the 6th pick in the 2021 draft without any suspense.

Thunder at that time were at the junction of reconstruction and rise. They held superstar Alexander and were still waiting for the rookie bonuses of Jaylen Williams and Homegren. The team's management held high hopes for the selection of Gidey: they hope that this Australian boy can become Alexander's "right-hand man", connect the entire team with passes, and even replicate the glory of the "Thunder Three Young Masters" period. The media even said bluntly: "Gidy will be the next all-round point guard to change the league's pattern." But no one expected that this expectation would soon be poured cold water on reality.

Three years after entering the NBA, Giddy seemed to have been pressed for the "growth pause button". His speed has not improved, and he is always half a beat slower when facing the fast-paced play in the league; the defensive end is the team's "loophole", and the shortcomings of slow movement speed are infinitely amplified, and the opponent can always make breakthroughs against him, leaving his backcourt partner Alexander tired of filling in the position to assist in defense; the fatality is his shooting ability - his three-pointer is like a "decoration", and the opponent simply lets him go, so that his teammates often fall into the embarrassing situation of "4-on-5" when they are on the court, and the assist-and-turnover ratio has always hovered in the middle and lower reaches of the league.

At that time, Gidey became "Dangelo Russell without projection": he had the awareness of passing but had no ending ability; he had organizational ideas but no hard power to adapt to the system. The Thunder is in the critical period of winning the championship and there is no time for him to grow slowly. The team decisively finalized the deal with the Bulls, and used the 21-year No. 6 pick to exchange for only 30-year-old veteran Caruso - what's even more dazzling is that the Bulls did not attach any draft picks or young assets to this deal. You should know that the No. 6 pick is usually a potential stock that each team competes for, but Gidey's market value is so low that it is not even considered a "equivalent exchange".

After coming to the Bulls, Giddy's situation did not improve. During the contract renewal negotiations, he took the initiative to lower his expectations and only asked for an annual salary of 30 million yuan, but the Bulls management was still cold and chose to "continue to wait and see." At that time, Jidi's face was full of embarrassment - the once genius boy is now hard to fight for even a "decent" contract. From the beginning of the season to January, the Bulls were even glad to "get rid of Gidey"'s decisiveness: Although Gidey's rebounding ability has improved (9.3 per game in December), and his ability to control mistakes has also improved (the assist-and-turnover ratio in November is close to 3.0), the offensive efficiency is still eye-catching, and his real shooting percentage is always around 50%, ranking at the bottom of the same position and the bottom of the league..

The media began to badmouth: "Gidi's talent has been exhausted" and "he is not suitable for the rhythm of the NBA"; fans also ridiculed: "The Thunder actually made a profit by trading the No. 6 pick for Caruso." When everyone thought that Gidi would be reduced to a "marginal player", fate opened a window for him. The turning point came after Zach LaVine was traded. With LaVine leaving the team, the Bulls officially launched a rebuilding plan. Coby White and Guiddy in the backcourt were pushed to the core position - especially Guidy. The team increased his usage rate by 5% and allowed him to organize the offense at his own pace. This time, Gidi did not waste the opportunity. He showed all the offensive skills he had worked hard on for the past three years on the court.

Starting from February, Jidi seems to be a new person. He finally conquered the three-point line that had troubled him for three years: he hit 30 three-pointers in a single month, with a shooting percentage of 53.6% - this data even surpassed many of the top shooters in the league. With the addition of three-point firepower, his offensive threat has increased exponentially, and his scoring average has soared to 19.8 points per game. He is no longer the "offensive black hole" that was missed by his opponents. What's even more surprising is his defensive improvement. In the past three seasons, Gidi's defensive presence was almost zero, but in 11 games in February, he contributed 15 steals and 12 blocks, turning from a "defensive loophole" into a "backcourt barrier." By March, Gidi's performance was even better: averaging 20.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, with a true shooting percentage of nearly 60%, and a plus-minus of +4.5 - every pass was accurate, every rebound was done with all his strength, and every score lit up the home atmosphere.

Under his leadership, the Bulls reversed their decline and achieved a record of 7 wins and 3 losses, successfully locking in a playoff spot. This near triple-double performance not only shocked the league, but also caused his value to soar rapidly. You must know that his ball usage rate has skyrocketed from the previous 20.2% to 24.9%, and he has truly transformed from a "marginal rotation" into the team's "offensive engine" - he was once questioned as "not able to finish", but he can hit three-pointers at critical moments; he was once complained about "not knowing how to defend", he can block the opponent's kill; once criticized as "not able to score", he can score 30+ in a single game to lead the team to victory.

Gidi's outbreak completely changed the attitude of the Bulls management. The originally deadlocked contract renewal negotiations have turned around. Initially, Gidi's agent offered an annual salary of 30 million U.S. dollars, but the Bulls were only willing to provide about 20 million. The two sides reached a deadlock for a time, and the outside world even predicted that the negotiations would be delayed until the start of the season. But as Gidi's performance got better and better, the Bulls finally relented and agreed with him on a four-year, $100 million fully guaranteed contract - no player options, no team options. This "iron rice bowl" level of treatment was the team's greatest recognition of him.

For the Bulls, this is a clear statement of their rebuilding direction: giving up building a team around veterans and instead betting on the 22-year-old. Gidi's technical characteristics are already scarce in the modern NBA - he can organize, grab rebounds, shoot three-pointers, and can cover multiple positions on the defensive end. Such an all-around point guard is the "cornerstone" needed to rebuild the team. For Gidi, this contract is a reward for his "not giving up": from being traded by the Thunder, to being on the sidelines with the Bulls, to his current core position, he has used three years of persistence and hard training to prove that he is not a "waste of talent." Although his first performance in the preseason of the new season was average, it is generally believed that Kiddy's upper limit is still higher than Kuminga's and he is worthy of a four-year, US$100 million contract. What do you think about this?