Josh Giddey Is Too Weird To Fail

Josh Giddey is an enigma. Despite his many projected flaws coming into the NBA, the Aussie has already left his mark. Who is the youngest NBA player with a triple-double? Josh Giddey. Who is the second-youngest player with a triple-double? Giddey. Who is the third-youngest NBA player with a triple-double?

Yep, you guessed it. The OKC Thunder phenom continues to light the league on fire. He’s already a top playmaker in the NBA, somebody who can lead an offense. Sure, his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He’s not a great shooter. He’s not leaving enough luscious hair for the rest of us. Still, there’s no denying his stardom.

Giddey had another mesmerizing performance against the Knicks last night, reinforcing his weirdness. It’s hard not to fall in love with Giddey. Here’s everything I loved about Giddey’s performance.

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Unheralded Playmaking Ability

Josh Giddey is the best passer from this draft class. I know other rookies like Mark Jackson and Trae Young dished out more assists as rookies, but Giddey’s playmaking IQ is unmatched. His ability to fire laser beams in traffic is magnificent.

Giddey is a true floor general. His 12-assist performance in the Garden was another spectacular performance.

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I don’t know how Giddey squeezes this ball to Favors. It’s an impossible pass with all those hands and hair in the way. It’s a bounce pass, which is even more impressive. Favors catches it in stride, and that’s all she wrote.

Giddey waits for the perfect moment to through this down to Favors. That timing is uncanny for a rookie.

What the hell? How was this not a steal? The ball whisked by Walker’s hands, but Giddey threw it as if he wasn’t there. Gutsy.

Just a casual cross-court left-handed bullet pass. I do these in my sleep, too!

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Josh Giddey had 329 assists this season. The next closest rookie is Cade Cunningham, who had 221 dimes. He’s deserving of the title of ‘Best 2021 Draftee Passer.’

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Maybe He Can Score, After All?

Giddey’s only weakness on offense is scoring. Giddey has remained effective without a scoring skillset. His outside jump shot is poor. He lacks the strength to finish through contact. Did I mention that he couldn’t shoot?

Without Dort and SGA, Giddey had the attention of the whole defense. In addition to all those dimes, he had a career-high 28 points. So, maybe he can score after all?

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Points are Points

Giddey and fellow rookie Scottie Barnes are similar. Not only are they two awesome talents, but their offensive games are unpolished. Both of them have to find creative ways to score.

For Giddey, those points can come from just about anywhere. He averages 1.8 offensive rebounds per game. He is one of the few players who constantly goes after a shot attempt. Giddey earns 1.5 second-chance points per game.

When in transition, Giddey also thrives. He averages 1.06 points per transition attempt, shooting 58% from the field in such situations. Against a non-set defense, Giddey’s shot-creation drawbacks are gone.

And finally, we have off-ball movement, namely cutting. Most NBA players don’t even attempt to cut because who likes fundamentals when you can shoot threes? The only team who cuts consistently are the Warriors.

For a rookie, Giddey is a surprisingly good cutter. Giddey scores 65.3% of the time he cuts, averaging 1.35 points per possession.

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All those methods of scoring are ancient. Not too many players, especially perimeter players, are doing these things. They aren’t running like a wild dog for offensive rebounds. Cutting? What’s that, they say.

In baseball, there’s a saying that fits Giddey’s mindset. ‘Hit it where they ain’t.’

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Scoring + Defensive Improvements

Drooling in front of Josh Giddey’s game is something I could do for hours. However, there are still areas for improvement. All the Farrah Fawcett hairspray in the world can’t blind me from some striking flaws;

• 27% 3-PT shooter on 4.0 attempts
  
• 59% Restricted Area FG%
  
• 47.8% TS (-8.2 rTS%)
  
• Bad defense (no stats for this one)

Again, I don’t mean to drill Giddey, but he needs a lot of molding to do.

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Lack of Physicality

I’m not too concerned about Giddey’s jumper yet. In today’s NBA, shooting coaches can do wonders for players. For every Ben Simmons, there are guys like Malik Beasley, Bobby Portis, and many other examples of guys turning into elite shooters.

A problem that could plague Giddey is his slight frame. Like most rookies, physicality is a point of weakness. It’s understandable for Giddey, who is just a teenager. But, it severely hampers his offensive game.

Tyrese Haliburton is another guard who struggles with physicality. Both Giddey and Haliburton settle for these shots. They can’t muscle through these burly centers, so that’s the only option.

You see what happens here when Giddey attempts to do the same.

This is another example of what I just said above. I’m too lazy to write it again.

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That lack of physicality also hinders his ability to beat defenders off the dribble. All of his best actions come via the screen. That’s fine for now, but bulking up to add more muscle would do wonders for his offensive game.

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Defensive Shortcomings

Josh Giddey is a ball thief. He’s not athletic (despite his hair’s best attempts to disguise him) but he can steal the ball. He averages 1.1 steals per 36 minutes, which isn’t terrible. Still, he leaves a lot to be desired on that end.

Not only is he a teenager, but he also gets pushed around and lost on defense. His lateral quickness leaves him like a beached whale on the perimeter.

Getting better defensively will be the toughest task for the Australian.

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What Is Josh Giddey’s Ceiling?

Despite those flaws, Giddey is having a fantastic rookie season. An All-Rookie team is all but guaranteed. He’s a phenomenal passer, the ideal partner for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

I love his playstyle. He’s got so much untapped potential, but he knows what he’s doing out there. It may be pretty, and his means of being effective are weird, but it works.

The weirdest NBA rookie we’ve seen in some time is also one of the best. Giddey’s performance against the Knicks proved that he has a ways to go. With that hair, the skies the limit.

All hail, Josh Giddey.

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