Josh Giddey has continued his phenomenal debut season by becoming the first NBA rookie to register three straight triple-doubles since basketball Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson.
Giddey and the undermanned Thunder fought gamely at home against the San Antonio Spurs, but went down 114-106, with the Aussie registering 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
The triple-double against the Spurs made it three straight for the 19-year-old as he emulated the feat set by Robertson, an all-time great, back in the 1960-61 season while playing for the Cincinnati Royals.
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It was the fourth triple-double of the season for Giddey, tying Mavericks star Luka Doncic for the most by a teenager in NBA history.
With star running mate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined since late January, Giddey has handled the increased ball-handling duties thrust upon him with aplomb.
Giddey has enjoyed his best month of his rookie season in February, averaging 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game through the first eight games of the month.
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As the hub of Oklahoma City’s offense, Giddey’s exquisite playmaking skills have been on full show and his assist tallies have skyrocketed.
The Melbourne native’s 10-assist game against the Spurs was his ninth for the season, putting him behind only LeBron James’ mark of 11 set in 2003-04 in the list of most 10-assist games by an NBA rookie with the entire second half of the season to come.
Giddey took the NBA by storm in his 28-point triple-double against the New York Knicks in an overtime Thunder win at Madison Square Garden, and his playmaking left ESPN draft expert Mike Schmitz in awe.
Schmitz noted that the Aussie had made some “absolutely surgical deliveries” en-route to delivering 12 assists.
“Already an elite off the dribble passer. Accuracy on his corner hits is high level. So patient in the pocket,” Schmitz tweeted.
Giddey’s exquisite play of late has seen him rise into contention for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award alongside No.3 pick Evan Mobley and No.4 pick Scottie Barnes.
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The Aussie was ranked as the No.3 rookie on the NBA’s most recent Rookie Ladder.
“The Western Conference’s undisputed best rookie took a couple more strides and another ladder rung in removing that conference qualifier and tightening the race with Mobley and Barnes,” veteran writer Steve Aschburner wrote. “He had the best week of the bunch based on individual performance.”
Despite his team’s record being a ghastly 18-40 on the season, Giddey’s positive impact on the team is clear in its line-up data. He is the only Thunder player in all three of OKC’s line-ups that have returned a positive Net Rating having logged over 20 minutes together.
Having put the NBA on notice this week, Giddey now heads to NBA All-Star weekend to play on the biggest stage of his career yet in the rookie-sophomore game. If he continues this trajectory, it won’t be long until he’s in the All-Star game itself.