After the Oklahoma City Thunder raised eyebrows on draft night by taking Australian guard Josh Giddey sixth overall, the team’s No.3 has taken little time to show why he was picked so high.
The 19-year-old’s opening two regular season outings matched those of his team as he struggled to make a consistent impact, but game three showed just what he could eventually be.
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In the Thunder’s 115-103 loss to the 76ers, Giddey filled up the stat sheet as he has been known to do, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
After a stellar pre-season, it is the type of performance that Thunder and NBA fans are fast becoming accustomed to.
Through three games in his career, Giddey is stacking up well with the rest of his draft class.
His 27.6 minutes per game ranks eighth among rookies, while his 6.7 rebounds ranks third. He is the leading assist man among rookies with 4.7 dimes per game.
Giddey’s impact hasn’t been solely felt on the offensive end either. Standing at 203cm he has been able to leverage his size at the guard position to be an impactful defender so far in his career, and his 1.7 steals per game ranks third among rookies, only behind a pair of big men: Alperen Sengun and Luka Garza.
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The Aussie was praised for having “his foot on the gas” in his career-best outing against the Sixers by coach Mark Daigneault, who also expressed optimism about the Thunder’s backcourt duo of Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Monday’s (AEST) contest was the first time both guards scored in double figures, with Gilgeous-Alexander pouring in 29 points to go with Giddey’s 19.
“I thought there was a good collaborative rhythm tonight,” Daigneault said of the guard tandem post-game.
“We’re optimistic about that partnership… It’s going to improve over time.”
Giddey’s performance impressed his backcourt partner as well, who called his Aussie teammate “very talented”.
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“With rookies it takes time, they get more comfortable every game,” he said.
“I’ve walked those same footsteps. My job is to walk him through that and help him be as comfortable as he can be. He was good tonight.”
The numbers don’t make for pretty reading just yet for the Gilgeous-Alexander-Giddey combo, with the Thunder outscored by 20.4 points per 100 possessions through 59 shared minutes on the court thus far, but that’s expected given the team’s growing pains.
It’s the pair’s size, with Gilgeous-Alexander standing at 198cm, and passing ability that gives the Thunder immense two-way potential down the road. It’s just a matter of building around them.
While Giddey’s playmaking has been highlighted as his strongest skill so far, he has proven his ability to be an effective and efficient play-finisher as well, further evidence as to why he can play off the ball alongside another dominant guard.
Thirty-eight per cent of the Australian’s shots have come off zero dribbles and he has converted such shot attempts on an efficient 50 per cent clip.
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The Australian’s play has also caught the attention of NBA analysts around the league.
Former ESPN draft expert Chad Ford noted Giddey’s on-court confidence after his performance against the Sixers.
“Giddey plays with such a swagger for someone so young and his court vision is tremendous,” Ford tweeted.
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Giddey’s exploits through the early part of the season take you back to the last time Australian NBA fans were this excited about one of their own rookies: Ben Simmons.
Like Giddey, Simmons burst out of the blocks when he made his long-awaited NBA debut back in 2017-18 after missing his first season through injury.
Simmons burst out of the gates with three consecutive double-doubles in losses before posting a triple-double in just his fourth game to secure his first ever win.
Simmons ended his rookie season with the coveted Rookie of the Year award and was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team.
If Giddey continues this form, he’ll have a red-hot shot at emulating his international teammate.