Thunder End of the Year Report Card: Josh Giddey

Josh Giddey showed progress in his sophomore year and helped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spearhead the Thunder’s offense en route to the Play-In Tournament.

After the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick almost two years ago, the Australian playmaker impressed with his vision, passing acumen, and self-creation flashes in his rookie season.

Entering his sophomore campaign, Giddey’s biggest weakness was well known: shooting. So what did the Thunder do to address that issue? They lured Chip Engelland, the most respected shooting coach in the NBA.

As a result, the second-year guard enjoyed a significant bump in offensive efficiency and production across the board as he averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks across 76 games on 53.3% true shooting versus 47.8% last season.

Overall Grade: B-

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It’s hard to believe Giddey has already played two seasons with the Thunder; it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. Maybe that’s because the talented Aussie is just 20 years old — ridiculously young relative to his production.

Nonetheless, the young professional handled himself admirably in his second season taking on more responsibility and figuring out how to play better alongside his backcourt teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, showing more assertiveness as a slasher and playmaker while taking better shots. Giddey’s ability to capitalize on his teammates' gravity, and his knack for crashing the glass, was vital to the Thunder exceeding expectations this season and reaching the postseason.

But despite Giddey’s growth as a player, his limitations as a defender, 3-point shooter, as and as a self-creator in half-court situations held him back from reaching his true potential and proved to be problematic for the Thunder at times.

Offensively

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Giddey’s newfound assertiveness in transition and ability to feel seams in the defense helped him to pick apart the opposition all season long, helping him to 1260 points and the 16th-most assists in the regular season with 469. And although it’s still a work in progress, he showed an improved long ball while becoming a more efficient finisher around the rim.

Overshadowed by Gilgeous-Alexander at times, Giddey also functioned as the Thunder's secondary initiator, a tall task for any 20 year old. This allowed Giddey to punish weaker and smaller defenders, forcing defenses to rotate and help before hitting a soft floater or throwing a dime to an open, or cutting, teammate.

Overall, Giddey’s growth as a scorer and shooter combined with his ability to facilitate the rock and keep the offense flowing helps him to earn a solid B+ here.

Defensively

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The combination of the lack of quick-twitch athleticism, vertical leaping ability, and relative inexperience led to a lackluster season on the defensive end of the floor for the sophomore guard. Unfortunately, there were just too many times where quicker guards and more decisive perimeter players were able to squeeze past him or just shoot over the top of the 6-foot-8 guard.

But to his credit, Giddey showed poise, consistent effort, and a willingness to help on defense, making the most of his god-given tools and posting both a steal and block percentage north of one percent. Giddey earns a C+ here.

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