Thunder rookie Josh Giddey scored 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists once morest the Mavericks. At the age of 19 years and 84 days, he became the youngest ternary winner in history. But this record is only expected for fans who have always followed Giddey, because he averaged 13.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists in two consecutive games as early as mid-December. 2 points, 5 rebounds in the second game); if stretched to three consecutive games, it is a quasi-big triple with an average of 14.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game, which may be more difficult than a single big triple.
Over his past two games, Josh Giddey has averaged:
13.5 points
10.5 assists
11.5 reboundsHe’s the second youngest player in the NBA.
– Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) December 21, 2021
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s luck in the 2021 draft is not so good. With an 11.5% chance of getting the first pick and a 45.1% chance of getting the first four picks, they only drew the sixth pick. However, the team’s management team used their vision to make up for their luck and selected the 19-year-old Australian defender Josh Giddey. The second-youngest player in the league was the first to prove his ability with a November West Coast Rookie of the Year award. Giddey booked an all-around data of 11 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, but how good is Giddey in reality?
——————————
The only member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in Australia, Andrew Gaze, has known the rookie since Giddey was a baby, and he is not surprised that Giddey has quickly adapted to life in the NBA.
“I have seen him stand out from all levels of competition.”
“Whether it was playing school games as a child, representing the Australian team for the first time, or in the first game of the NBL, he can adapt to the intensity of the game immediately.” —— Andrew Gaze
“He is such a player.”
But Gaze was still surprised by Giddey’s performance and role in the team.
“It is undeniable that Giddey is not on a playoff-level team, which brings him a lot of opportunities to play.”
“But his performance has proved that he is totally worth it. I never imagined that he would play such an important role in the rookie season.”
——————————
Giddey missed almost all the summer league due to an ankle injury and is one of the most mysterious rookies. But it didn’t take long for him to become a superstar among his peers with his performance.
With his outstanding performance in training camp, Giddey immediately entered the Thunder’s starting lineup at the beginning of the season. He also lived up to expectations, surrendering a comprehensive performance, and the second place Evan Mobley won the first single-month rookie award of the season on the east and west sides respectively. As of January 4th, Giddey was among the best in a number of statistics:
| data | Rookie Ranking | |
| Score | 11.0 | 8 |
| Backboard | 7.3 | 3 |
| Assist | 6.4 | 1 |
| Steal | 1.0 | 6 |
| Block attack | 0.5 | 6 |
| Assist/turnover ratio | 2.26 | 2 |
| Usage rate | 21.5% | 4 |
Perhaps Giddey’s data will surprise many people, but in fact his performance in the NBA is not without a trace.
“He will be our great player this season and in the future. For him, this is just the beginning.”-His teammate Aleksej Pokusevski said at the beginning of the season.
Long before the draft, NBADraft.net’s draft forecast described Giddey as follows:
-
A natural point guard with a tall stature, good game touch and basketball IQ. He is the kind of player who makes his teammates better;
-
All-round players have the possibility to create a big three yuan every night, can do anything on the court and fill all the blanks on the statistics table;
-
Top passers, with excellent field vision, can see the gaps seen by a few players; good at handling fast breaks and using body shape to pass the ball; able to control the rhythm, seldom make decisions in a hectic;
-
Good pick-and-rolls, because they can take advantage of their size and field vision to find roll-in long shots, weak side shooters, or empty cut teammates;
-
Reliable close to the basket finisher, able to attack the basket, layup with both hands, and also has a nice small throw;
-
A smart defender, who knows how to use his height and length, is very good at intercepting opponents’ passing routes.
The youngest ternary winner, the rookie with the most assists and the second best assist/turnover ratio (better than two higher-ranked point guards) is probably enough to confirm the first three descriptions; steals and blocks are ranked sixth among rookies It also shows that Giddey is a smart defender.
