If we will still have to wait for the international scene, after an exit during the last World Cup with Australia, Josh Giddey (2m03, 20 years old) is indeed one of the young stars in the making in the NBA.
The Thunder point guard had already made waves during his first campaign, notably becoming the youngest player in history to achieve a triple-double (breaking LaMelo Ball’s record), but, after a second season with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists on average, the kid from Melbourne did a lot last year.
Surprised by its own impact!
“I didn’t expect to have this type of impact from the start of my rookie season”recognizes Josh Giddey for GQ Sports. “I didn’t expect at all to arrive and start in the major five. And stay there every game after that! A lot of things have surprised me over the last two years. But it’s everything I could have hoped for, and better. »
Like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, his Canadian running back sidekick in Oklahoma City, Josh Giddey may not have the classic NBA superstar style of play, without the relaxed skills to place dunks or shooting from afar to send arrows from the parking lot. But his fundamentals, his reading of the game and his innate knowledge of the pass have clearly made him a core player in the Thunder project.
” It’s difficult [de tenir sur la longueur des 82 matchs]. You shouldn’t get excited after good matches, nor mope after bad ones. And if you go on social media, you’re either going to get all the compliments in the world or you’re going to get lit from everywhere. You have to take this in perspective. The guys who criticize you on TV are paid to increase the ratings and they do it well. But I don’t really care about that. I think a lot of guys [dans la Ligue] don’t care much about it. »
Josh Giddey has changed his goals since his Draft
Having fully taken to the Big League, Josh Giddey is one of the rare Australian players to have successfully made the direct jump between the NBL, the Australian league, and the NBA. Most of the other Boomers who managed to break into the United States went through an American university, or through Europe…
“Our training is among the best in the world, just look at the progress across the country. The Australian players are playing the right way. With altruism. Sometimes Americans have more physical or athletic qualities but we learn to play the right way. »
At the age of 20, and with two NBA seasons already under his belt, Josh Giddey wants to completely realize the Thunder’s return to the forefront. The OKC franchise has not experienced the playoffs since 2020, and if it flirted with the “postseason” last season, eliminated down to the wire in the second round of “play in” against Minnesota, it is now a matter of to pass the course. And why not avoid this high-risk preliminary tournament…
“Things have progressed a little faster than I expected,” concludes Josh Giddey. “At the beginning, I just wanted to find my place in the NBA and now, I want to have a fifteen-year career and win the title. My goals have evolved since the time of my Draft. »
| Josh Giddey | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | OKAY | 54 | 32 | 41.9 | 26.3 | 70.9 | 1.8 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 12.5 |
| 2022-23 | OKAY | 76 | 31 | 48.2 | 32.5 | 73.1 | 2.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 16.6 |
| Total | 130 | 31 | 45.9 | 29.5 | 72.3 | 1.9 | 6.0 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 14.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
