Every year at the NBA Summer League, there is a player with some experience in the league that proves to be far too good for the level of competition.
Just a few days into it, it is obvious that this year that player is Australia’s very own Josh Giddey.
Despite having an incredibly impressive first NBA season, Giddey joined a talented Oklahoma City Thunder roster at the Summer League, one that also features this year’s first round picks, Chet Holmgren and Ousmane Dieng.
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After Holmgren stole the show in the Thunder’s opening Summer League hit-out against the Utah Jazz, Giddey took centre stage in the team’s third game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Giddey finished with a modest stat-line of 10 points, five rebounds and seven assists, but set the NBA world alight with one thunderous dunk.
With the Thunder leading by two points in the fourth quarter, Giddey finished a strong left-handed drive with a two-handed slam, eviscerating Philadelphia’s Mailk Ellison who had rotated over to try and defend the rim.
After finishing the dunk, which left Ellison on his backside under the rim, Giddey stared down his opponent and was hit with a technical foul for taunting.
https://twitter.com/joshgiddey/status/1545209046982348800
“My initial point from Giddey’s first summer league game remains: this dude is a level above these guys at summer league and it’s only a matter of time until he gets shut down,” The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie said of the Aussie’s play.
“Crazy thing about everyone saying Josh Giddey is way too good to be playing in Summer League: Giddey is younger than every player on both OKC and Utah’s rosters besides Ousmane Dieng,” Thunder beat writer Brandon Rahbar tweeted.
Giddey’s sensational dunk comes after he posted a triple double in the Thunder’s second Summer League hit-out. He became the first player to post a triple double in Summer League play since Lonzo Ball did so with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017.
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