The Oklahoma City Thunder made Chicken Salad out of Chicken or something else when they selected Josh Giddey with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The sky was falling in Bricktown on Lottery night when the Thunder had a chance to land top picks within the top-five of the draft but ended up with zero picks in the top five of a loaded class. That feeling quickly changed once Giddey stepped onto the hardwood in Oklahoma City.
Josh Giddey dazzled in Bricktown winning Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month in which he played while becoming the youngest player in NBA history to log a triple-double on his way to four (4) of them including a streak of three straight triple-doubles this season. These lofty numbers earned statistical comparisons to LaMelo Ball, Ben Simmons, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlin, Larry Bird, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook, and Magic Johnson. Safe to say, despite not earning a single Rookie of the Year vote, it was a very successful rookie campaign for the former-NBL star.
Oklahoma City Thunder star 19-year-old guard Josh Giddey feels confident in his fit with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
While Giddey shined in his first season, there was one major question mark, how would he fit with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? The sad part is, despite Josh Giddey’s rookie season coming to a close, we are no closer to an answer. The reason being is the sheer lack of volume for the duo. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey played just 1,924 possessions together, compare that to the last young budding tandem Sam Presti pieced together in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook they shared 3,939 possessions in their first season.
Lineups that included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey turned in a -10.7 differential, scoring 105.2-points per possession offensively with a 13.2-percent turnover rate and an effective field goal percentage of 49.5-percent. Comparing that to Durant and Westbrook’s first season together which resulted in a -7.7 differential, 103.8 points per possession, a 47.7 effective field goal percentage, and a 16.9-percent turnover rate. Defensively, the Hall of Fame duo limited opponents to four fewer points per possession than the current day youngsters.
The Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant era ended with four trips to the Western Conference Finals, advancing to the NBA Finals one time, and a series of “what ifs?” for various reasons namely injuries. Safe to say despite never winning the big one, and the messy KD Divorce, the era was successful once the duo learned to play together.
Now, it is unfair to expect the same run from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey in a much different NBA landscape and SGA entering his fifth year in the league and Giddey coming into his second season (Unlike Durant who was only in year two during Westbrook’s rookie season), it does show it takes time to build something great between two talented players…or at least longer than 1,924 possessions.
Josh Giddey was sidelined by his hip injury which held him out since February 24th the game after the All-Star Break when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned from his lengthy absence when dealing with an injury of his own.
On February 24th, the duo played their best game to date with Josh Giddey logging 15-points, six assists, nine rebounds, two steals, and shooting 46-percent from the floor while setting up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who went for 32-points, five assists, two rebounds, and 59-percent from the floor. That sparked a run of 6 games with 30-plus points in seven contests finishing the year with ten 30-plus point outings in the final 12 games of SGA’s season.
Giddey referenced that contest as the duo’s best of the season together letting the Media have a peek behind the curtain saying the two guards plus head coach Mark Daigneault “had a meeting” before the game against Phoenix mentioning “The Chemistry between us just keeps growing.” adding that He and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “Can run a team by ourselves.”
Josh Giddey should be confident in his pairing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, why wouldn’t he be? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a rising star, entering the first year of his five-year max contract extension, and is in line to be an All-Star in the not too distant future.
On top of that, Josh Giddey has been a fantastic and productive NBA player after playing extremely well in a league of grown men as an 18-year-old kid in the NBL. Giddey sets players up and makes them better, especially on the offensive end. You have to give this duo time to show they can play off each other. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s iso offense is great, he has also proven he can play off-ball in his career dating back to his first year in Bricktown sharing the stage with Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder.
The last piece of data on the “do not worry yet” tracker, is the fact that you can double down on passing off last season as a small sample size. A shortened offseason contributed to the duo not having fireworks right out of the gate, as did the fact Josh Giddey admitted on draft night he has never played with another lead guard before saying “I love [My fit with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander]! When I was in Australia I did not play with another guard, playing with a guy like Shai I am really excited for it. It takes the pressure off me having the ball in my hands all the time.” That was Giddey’s sentiment on July 31st, after one full season with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey is still in deferral mode, saying at his end of season media availability “a lot of the time when I’m handling the ball, it is to get [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] the ball back. That’s the guy we want to have the ball.”
All signs point to Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wanting to make this relationship work on the floor, and until further notice, there is no reason to panic. This is the NBA, it is one step away from being a midday soap opera, you do not need to look for drama…It will find you.
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May 07, 2022 at 04:45PM
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Josh Giddey is confident in his fit with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Thunderous Intentions
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