Giddey Gets Opportunity to Play Star With Gilgeous-Alexander Sidelined

On Saturday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski announced that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was entering health and safety protocols, while Josh Giddey was returning to the lineup.

While a huge blow to the Thunder team that was really finding a rhythm, Josh Giddey will get a chance to be the main focal point in the offense.

In two games without Gilgeous-Alexander, both losses, Giddey has shown incredible potential and has been able to really stuff the stat sheet.

While not known for being a high-volume scorer, Giddey definitely has to expand his offensive attack with his backcourt running-mate out.

Without Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey has averaged 17.0 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. What’s even more impressive is how efficient he’s been. The rookie sensation managed to shoot 50% from the floor and 33.3% from behind the 3-point line, both well above his season averages.

The best part about Giddey having free reign over the offense is that he can take a higher volume of shots. Even if they don’t go in, and his percentages sputter, getting in-game action and lots of shots up is a massive key in Giddey’s development.

Without Gilgeous-Alexander, expect OKC to really utilize the pick-and-roll with the 6-foot-8 point guard. Giddey loves to snake his way off the high-ball screen to get to his spots on the floor. This year, he’s displayed how comfortable he is going strong to the rim and also stopping short for the floater. While teams are having to respect his offensive attack, it's allowing him to find the open man with his impressive passing more often.

This dish from Josh Giddey 😍 pic.twitter.com/j3KfeQM7ek
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) December 27, 2021

Obviously Gilgeous-Alexander makes Giddey a better player,and they compliment each other well, but with the Thunder star out, it gives Giddey a few games to experiment and try new things on the offensive end. The rookie has seen a steady increase in his assists and rebounds the past few games, and gets a chance to build on that with an extended role.

Even when his shot isn't falling @JoshGiddey finds other ways to help his team. A double-double for the rook in a W for the @okcthunder over New Orleans: 10 rebounds, 10 assists. 🇦🇺 #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/BNi1EGVTJ1
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) December 27, 2021

On the season, Giddey is averaging 10.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists. He's done a good job of taking care of the ball, too, only committing 2.8 turnovers per night. It will be even harder to play mistake-free basketball with the defense keying in on him even more, but he has continued to rise to the occasion.

While the Thunder wait for its star to return to the lineup, Giddey will get a chance to show what he can do as the star of the show and try new things offensively.

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