DETROIT, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 11: Josh Giddey #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder takes a first half shot … [+]
As the Oklahoma City Thunder build a young roster that hopes to contend for a championship down the road, having success in the draft is critical in that happening.
Luckily for the Thunder, they have the benefit of having one of the top scouting departments in the entire NBA. The expectation for Oklahoma City when it began the current rebuild was that the team would have a few down seasons, which would result in a stretch of high draft picks.
The first of these picks was Australian guard Josh Giddey, who was selected by the Thunder with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Him being selected that early was a surprise to most, but it’s already becoming clear that he was well worth the pick.
Although Giddey was projected to go in the lottery, the expectation was that he’d be taken in the back half of that range. However, after a late visit to California by Thunder GM Sam Presti to watch the then 18-year-old work out, Oklahoma City got its guy.
Giddey has been an excellent young player since the minute he stepped on an NBA floor. By his fifth ever game, he notched a contest with ten assists as the playmaking and facilitation jumped off the page. He even became the youngest player in the history of the league to notch a triple-double shortly after.
At 6-foot-8, he has rare size for a guard and also instantly became the Thunder’s top rebounder as a rookie.
By the end of his rookie season, Giddey had earned Second Team NBA All-Rookie honors while posting averages of 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.
After year one, he was top ten among all rookies in points per game. Giddey also finished first in assists and second in rebounds per contest among his class.
Following an incredible showing in the NBA Summer League, he was set to make another jump in his sophomore season. However, Giddey’s season got off to a relatively slow start.
Through his first two months of the 2022-23 campaign, the second-year guard averaged 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the floor and 25.5% from deep.
Since the beginning of December, Giddey has gotten back in his groove. He’s averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists over the past six games while shooting much more efficiently at 47.8% from beyond the arc. His turnover numbers have also been minimized during this stretch.
In relation to his class this season, Giddey looks great overall. Through the first third of this season, quite a few sophomores have struggled overall.
Giddey ranks fourth in total points, first in total assists and third in total rebounds this season among all second year players.
When looking at the entire body of work at the NBA level over the past year and a half, his numbers stack up well against his class.
- Points: 1045 (6th)
- Assists: 481 (1st)
- Rebounds: 619 (3rd)
This is incredibly impressive considering Giddey has only played the ninth-most minutes in this class on his career due to an injury late in his rookie campaign.
As of today, Giddey looks like he was a fantastic pick at No. 6 overall. Furthermore, his unique blend of size and guard skills makes his ceiling incredibly high. If his perimeter shooting comes around, there’s no doubt he could end up being a top three player in this class when it’s all said and done.
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