August 1, 2021 – Brooklyn, NY –
Josh Giddey, the 6-foot-8 205 pound point guard from Melbourne Australia was drafted to the Oklahoma City Thunder as the sixth overall pick in a loaded 2021 NBA Draft Class. Giddey is a dynamic playmaker with the ball, with great size for the position, following the new wave of big guards we see in the NBA a la Ben Simmons and Luka Doncic just to name a few. Giddey flashed his dynamic potential as a playmaker for the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL where his stock quickly rose and led him to becoming a high lottery pick. In the NBL he averaged 10.8 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, to go along with 7.6 assists per game on 43% shooting from the field and 69% from the foul line.
The Thunder can desperately use Giddey in the playmaking department as they were ranked dead last in the assist department, making them the worst passing team in the league. The Thunder will benefit greatly from Giddey’s ball handling and passing skills which will make the game easier for guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, and others. His elite court vision and high basketball IQ will also help the Thunder take care of the ball better, despite him averaging 3.3 turnovers a game, but with proper coaching and development that will improve with time. He has short arms for his size which will kind of hurt him defensively, he lacks elite athleticism, and his jumper is shaky and will need a lot of work in order to unlock his true potential.
All in all Giddey should be a tremendous addition to the Thunder’s young core and is bringing a big guard with a high IQ of the game who knows how to control the tempo offensively, and defensively he has a nose for where the ball will go and plays with an intelligent toughness. It will be interesting to see how Giddey develops over his career and what kind of heights he can reach as a player.
