Australia’s Josh Giddey has been rewarded for making an excellent start to his career after he was named the NBA’s Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November.
Giddey joined Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who was named the Rookie of the Month for the Eastern Conference, with Mobley currently the favourite to take out the Rookie of the Year award.
The 19-year-old has started in each of his 20 games for OKC so far this season and has averaged 10.4 points to go with a team-leading 7.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in 29.4 minutes a night.
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Giddey ranks first among all rookies in assists, third in rebounds and eighth in points.
He is the first OKC player to be named a Rookie of the Month since former MVP Russell Westbrook back in the 2008-09 season, the franchise’s first in Oklahoma City after moving from Seattle.
Giddey is also the first Australian to receive a Rookie of the Month award since Ben Simmons back in the 2017-18 season.
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Earlier this month, Giddey became the third teenager in NBA history to tally at least 100 assists and 100 rebounds in his first 20 games, joining LeBron James and LaMelo Ball.
Giddey notched up two games of at least nine rebounds and nine assists in his first month of play, and became the youngest rookie to do so in a game since James.
Like Giddey, Mobley, the No.3 pick in this year’s draft, has enjoyed a fantastic start to his career.
The big man has anchored the 12-10 Cavaliers’ defence while averaging 14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.
Incredibly, Mobley was named the Rookie of the Month in the East despite missing 12 days with an elbow injury. The Cavs are 11-6 with him in the line-up.
Mobley became the Cavs’ first Rookie of the Month since Dion Waiters in February 2013 and the seventh Cavalier since 1981 to receive the honour, joining Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, Carlos Boozer, James, Kyrie Irving and Waiters.
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