Stiles Points: Josh Giddey's Impressive Olympic Play Expected, Doesn't Change Trade

The Oklahoma City Thunder shipped Josh Giddey to Chicago this Summer and despite his impressive Olympic play, it was still the right move.

Jul 30, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Australia guard Josh Giddey (3) drives against Canada guard Jamal Murray (4) in a men's group stage basketball match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

This summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder made the necessary moves to take a spunky young squad to the next level. 

After rattling off 57 wins in the regular season where they finished with a top five offense and defense, the Thunder were bounced in the second round of the postseason in six games - falling to the eventual Western Conference Champions. 

Along the way, the Thunder picked up their first playoff series win since 2016, Mark Daigneault won coach of the year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished runner up for the MVP award which marks his second straight top five finish for the honor, and Oklahoma City saw their three-headed monster get solidified with the debut of Chet Holmgren and progression of Jalen Williams. 

Though, along the way to this wildly successful 2023-24 campaign there were struggles. Mainly finding a role for Josh Giddey who was shoehorned into the first five for the first 218 games of his career only to be benched for the final two tilts in a Thunder uniform. 

With Giddey on the floor with the starters Oklahoma City had to work harder as teams ignored the No. 6 pick in 2021 given his off-ball role as a non-shooter. 

Fresh off his worst year as a pro, top executive Sam Presti shipped Giddey to the Windy City in favor of defensive ace Alex Caruso. 

This is a trade that helps Oklahoma City take their game to the next level as Caruso represents a 40 percent 3-point shooter who can defend multiple positions on the floor at a high level and upgrade the team’s flexibility. 

However, the discourse around Giddey this season and summer has been wildly unfair. Sure, the 21-year-old guard struggled tremendously a year ago, but that was always expected. For the third straight year his role, team expectations and roster changed. 

Lacking stability and his tasks being further and further away from a natural fit no one should be shocked that Giddey struggled away from the ball and couldn’t mesh into a 3-and-D role. 

So as Giddey spreads his wings and runs the show for his home country in the Olympics ahead of his first season with the Bulls, it is no surprise to see an uptick in production and efficiency. 

Though, Tuesday was a perfect example of why Oklahoma City made this move - especially after Giddey refused a bench role with the organization. 

Getting out to a hot start against Team Canada, Giddey posted 15 points in the first half to give the Boomers the lead at intermission. From there, Canada shifted their approach becoming more physical with the young guard and placing Lu Dort on him to disrupt his flow. That led to just four points out of the locker room for the second half with plenty of costly turnovers that ultimately doomed the Boomers. 

While Giddey looked speculator in the first half, he is not advanced enough to maintain that for an entire contest much less season even in his ideal role - that is no knock on the youngster as that is unrealistic expectations for most 21-year-olds - the Thunder are ready to win now and couldn’t offer the former top ten pick enough minutes in a ideal role to allow him to reach his potential. 

This trade is a massive win for each side even as Giddey looks as good as he ever has as a pro during the 2024 Olympics. Off to play under guard whisper Billy Donovan, you should expect the same amount of success with his new Eastern Conference Team. 

Stiles Points

• Carmelo Anthony went on Paul George's Podcast where he explained what went wrong in Oklahoma City from the beginning.
• Anthony also discussed what the breakup process was like in Oklahoma City which is different than the previous perception of how things went down.
• Social Media was set on fire on Tuesday by the Giddey-Gilgeous-Alexander matchup.
• In a recent offseason workout video, Chet Holmgren showed off more advanced shot-creating ability than previously seen from the seven-footer.

Song of the Day: Slide Off Your Satin Sheets by Johnny Paycheck.

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