He is the lightly-framed, six-foot-eight Australian rookie to the NBA.
A young, talented Melbournian and former Adelaide 36er who now calls Oklahoma City Thunder his home.
Find out why he is amongst the top-ranked rookies heading into season 2021/22.
Josh Giddey
Oklahoma City Thunder
Muhammed Ali once famously described himself; ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.’
While he might not be on the level of stardom and fame that Ali was, that description could not be more tightly tied in to the way Josh Giddey plays his basketball.
The six-foot-eight 18-year-old Australian who hails from Melbourne, Victoria, made his bones in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers last season and won himself a contract in America.
Oklahoma City Thunder came knocking with pick six of the 2021 NBA draft and hauled in Giddey as their prize recruit heading into the 2021/21 season.
Even though the pasty-skinned, lightly-framed point guard might look like a push-over to some, he is anything but.
He has followed a similar path to LaMelo Ball in using the NBL as a foundation to become seasoned against bigger, more senior bodies.
The comparisons to Ball, given the pair are big guards who stand at over six-foot-six, were always inevitable.
Last season, Giddey became the youngest player in the NBL since Ball to notch up a triple double.
His 12 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against the New Zealand Breakers was a standout game, but it was he did in the following match that had onlookers talking.
Giddey took it up a notch when he dropped 15 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds on the Brisbane Bullets to make it a consecutive triple-double and in the process he became the first ever Australian to achieve that feat in NBL history.
He would cap off his season by leading the NBL in assists with 7.5 assists per game.
It highlights his ability to find space for team-mates as well as a play-making appetite recruiters in the NBA are always on the hunt for.
He may not have had the ideal preparation with an ankle sprain souring his summer league debut against Detroit.
But he has since made a sensational return to the court with an impressive 18-point display against Charlotte which included seven rebounds and three assists.
He showed oodles of class and poise with ball in hand as well as a great tenacity on the boards.
Giddey will be competing amongst the likes of prize number one pick Cade Cunningham and explosive Houston Rockets recruit Jalen Green who are both very highly touted and will be pivotal for their respective teams.
The fact Giddey has competed against big, seasoned bodies might just the competitive advantage he needs.
If Giddey’s current pre-season form is anything to go by, then we are in for a treat this year and for years to come.
