When Josh Giddey spoke to reporters ahead of the Chicago Bulls' meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers, he pointed a finger at himself.

The lead guard – like many of his teammates – looked discombobulated through the first eight games. While it was hard to blame him considering the newness around him, Giddey still insisted on carrying the burden. Known best for his playmaking prowess, the 24-year-old stressed that it was on him to steer this offense in the right direction.

"Obviously, I got to play better, but I probably also got to do a better job of getting guys looks and getting guy involved and keeping guys engaged. That's my responsibility. I got to be better. We got to better, and we'll figure it out," Giddey said.

No one is prepared to say that the Bulls have truly figured it out, but there is no question that Giddey turned his words into actions on Sunday afternoon. Facing off against the East's No. 1 team, the Bulls played arguably their most competitive game yet. And Giddey was arguably the catalyst.

The Bulls immediately looked up to the challenge against the Philadelphia 76ers. Their starting lineup had far more offensive cohesion, finishing the night shooting a season-best 52.3 percent from the field. They ended the night with 30 assists on 48 made field goals, and Giddey was responsible for HALF of those assists.

Indeed, Giddey dished seven dimes in his first 7 minutes of action, going on to finish the evening with 15 assists and a season-high 19 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. Giddey's own aggressiveness in the scoring department only opened more opportunities for him to find his teammates. Head coach Tiago Splitter has made it clear that this team wants to get into the paint and create from there. Giddey was finally doing that against Philly's defense.

Again, whether this is truly a sign of what's to come for Giddey is something only time will tell. But what Sunday provided was proof of concept for both the Bulls and the point guard. He is capable of running a system that makes sense for this new-look roster; it's just about gaining a better feel for his teammates and finding the right balance.

Noa Essengue Seeing Steady Minutes

Coming into the year, it was hard to get a read on where Noa Essengue stood in the eyes of the Bulls' new lead decision-makers. Did Tiago Splitter and Bryson Graham still view him as a core piece, especially after selecting their own long forward in Caleb Wilson? Even if so, was Essengue going to be able to earn minutes after missing essentially his entire rookie season?

Heck, it also didn't help that Essengue looked lost during the team's Summer League play in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old could barely stay on his own two feet and repeatedly struggled to make an impact on both ends. As far as first impressions go, it was the opposite of the one you want to make.

Fast forward to the start of the regular season, however, and a lot has seemingly changed. Essengue has won over Splitter enough to appear in eight games and average roughly 14.0 minutes per contest. No, the numbers haven't necessarily been staggering, but Essengue has looked deserving of a rotational role, specifically on the defensive end.

Both he and Splitter have made mention of the conversations they had behind the scenes after Summer League. Essengue was instructed to approach things with a different mentality and ramp up the physicality. Not only has he done that, but he's done it well enough to earn some real praise from his head coach.

"His length, and his ability to move his feet – he's elite at that," Splitter said of Essengue's defensive capabilities. "How many six-eleven guys with that wingspan can move side to side the way he moves? And stay in front of people? And even when they get a little bit of an advantage against him, he's able to get to the play because of his wingspan and size. That's something that we're developing with him, trying to make him one of the best defenders on our team and go from there."

To be sure, Essengue still has work to do before he is considered a true difference-maker defensively. The Frenchman is still fouling at too high a rate, with Splitter stating that he has to do a better job staying disciplined rather than trying too hard to make the big play. Still, the fact that Essengue is the youngest player on the team and is already carving out this kind of identity bodes well for his continued development.

He also deserves some credit for his rebounding effort. Essengue is averaging 3.5 a game and has 6+ in two of his last three games. A handful of these boards have tended to come on the offensive glass as well. He's very good at staying engaged in this department and using his length to make life harder on opposing frontcourts.

Yes, Essengue still has a long way to go offensively. He's done a decent job trailing in transition and cutting for some easy attempts at the rim. However, the opportunities to make noise on that sound of the ball will be hard to come by. Both he and the Bulls can live with that, though, as long he is making real strides on the defensive end.

"It's just amazing to be on the court," Essengue said after appearing in only two NBA games last season. "My teammates, every one of them helps me every day. The guys who play 30 minutes, the guy who plays 2 minutes, everybody. I'm young, so I take advice from everybody."

Nic Claxton' First Game Back

While Nic Claxton may not have fully brought the Chicago Bulls' swagger back on Sunday, it was a step in the right direction.

The big man came off the bench and played under a tight minutes restriction in his Bulls debut. He went 2-3 from the field for 9 points and grabbed 4 rebounds with a pair of blocked shots.

Even though he played just under 18 minutes of action, both Splitter and Claxton made note of just how gassed he was after the game. Of course, this is to be expected after sitting out the entirety of the preseason, but it's also a reminder of just how uptempo this Bulls team wants to play. It could take a little more time than usual to catch him up to speed.

Regardless, the fact that Claxton did walk away with no issues and continued to practice in full this week is an overwhelmingly positive sign for the Bulls. It's likely only a matter of time before we do see him subbed into the starting lineup. Jalen Smith has played well, but the lack of rim protection has remained one of Chicago's primary problems. Claxton was brought in this offseason to fix that.

With that said, Splitter and Claxton have also each spoken about the idea of playing with a double-big lineup. Don't be surprised if we see that on the court very soon, especially with Victor Wembanyama coming to town on Wednesday.