How Does Josh Giddey Stack Up Against 2021's Top Picks?

Thunder guard Josh Giddey bolted out of the gate to start his NBA career, garnering four consecutive Rookie of the Month selections. The sixth overall pick surpassed expectations in his first year in the league, outperforming many of the other 2021 top picks.

When OKC selected the then-18 year old, many fans were unsure what to expect from the 6-foot-8 Australian. Giddey came to Oklahoma City from the National Basketball League, an Australian professional league.

Since, in America, the NBL does not have the same accessibility as college basketball, Giddey’s play was largely unseen by NBA fans prior to his time with the Thunder. LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton were drafted after spending their post-high school seasons in the NBL, but were still on the radars of American fans due to their high school output.

Jonathan Kuminga, a former five-star prospect, elected to spend his post-high school season with the G League Ignite. Similar to Ball and Hampton, American viewers were familiar with the highly-touted prospect’s game.

At one time a projected top five pick, Kuminga’s tumble during the 2021 draft led many to theorize that Oklahoma City would quickly snatch the athletic phenom with the sixth pick. Throughout the pre-draft process, James Bouknight was rumored to be a shoe-in for the Thunder if the former Connecticut guard was available.

OKC elected to draft Giddey with both of the aforementioned players still on the board. Kuminga was selected seventh by the Golden State Warriors and Bouknight was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th pick.

Some Thunder fans were disappointed with General Manager Sam Presti’s decision, hoping to bring a flashy, big name draft pick to the state’s capitol. After observing Giddey’s stellar rookie season, however, the Oklahoma City faithful have come around to Presti’s selection.

Giddey started each of the 54 games he played, but was shut down in the second half of the season due to a hip injury. Kuminga played 70 games in 2021-22, but earned only 12 starts. Bouknight appeared in only 31 games and failed to crack the starting lineup.

Statistically, Giddey outweighs Bouknight and Kuminga in every category. Giddey averaged more points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals than the Hornets and Warriors 2021 lottery picks.

OKC’s 2022 All-Rookie Second Team selection was seventh in points per game, second in rebounds per game and first in assists per game amongst rookies who played in 50 games or more.

Four of 2021’s top five picks made an appearance on the 2022 All-Rookie First Team, Jalen Suggs being the lone top five selection to not make the cut. The Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner took the fifth spot on the list.

Wagner, the eighth overall pick in the 2021 draft, averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as a rookie. Giddey, on the other hand, averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.

When factoring in Giddey’s youth, his statistical accomplishments are even more impressive. During a January 2 matchup against Dallas, the Oklahoma City guard became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. Later in the season, the first year man notched three consecutive triple-doubles.

Looking beyond his stats, Giddey’s elite passing acumen sets him apart from any player in the 2021 draft class. Giddey can fit the ball through tight windows and regularly lead cutters to the rim with a smooth bounce pass better than any of his rookie counterparts.

One area of concern in the former NBL star’s play is his streaky shooting. Last year, Giddey shot under 42% from the field and less than 30% from beyond the arc.

If Giddey shows more consistency as a shooter, he will be primed to take the next step into potential stardom.

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