If the Las Vegas Summer League does not start until tonight, we have already had a glimpse of some rookies during those of California and Salt Lake City. During the latter, a certain Josh Giddey was particularly popular on the sidelines of the buzz surrounding Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Chet Holmgren. One of the reasons for its beautiful perfs? Many visits to the weight room.
Josh Giddey had already impressed quite a bit during his rookie campaign. For some, the sixth pick of the 2021 Draft would have even deserved to appear in the NBA All-Rookie First Team, he who had to settle for the second despite four consecutive Rookie of the Month titles in the West and very nice stats 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists average. His great vision for distributing caviar and his versatility quickly caught the eye of observers and today the Australian seems really ready to continue. In his first two Summer League matches, Giddey has been feasting alongside new pal Chet Holmgren. His first match against the Jazz? 14 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists. The second against the Grizzlies last night? A small triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The youngster is easy, so much so that one wonders what he is currently doing in the summer league so much he gives the impression of walking around at times. Nevertheless his passage in Summer League is far from being useless because he can test the skills he was able to work during the off-season. And at the same time, it allows us to see the areas where he has progressed, and imagine the evolution of his game for the years to come. What stood out in particular about Giddey against the Grizzlies on Wednesday was his aggressiveness towards the circle and his ability to finish in penetration. No coincidence according to the main interested party. This is what he replied in a post-match interview when a journalist fromESPN asked him how he had managed to get so close to the basket.
“By lifting cast iron since the end of the season! I try to become stronger, to get high in the room. I know that as a tall leader [2m03, ndlr.], I have to be able to finish over the smaller leaders, to take advantage of them. And I’ve been working on that lately, finishing close to the circle… You know when they go under the screens, with screeners like him [Chet Holmgren, ndlr.] who get so much attention, I can infiltrate, drive, drop the ball or finish in the circle, so I really try to read what the defense gives me. »
He has the talent, he has the vision, he has the size, he has the versatility and the intelligence. If he becomes a bigger threat in scoring and especially in penetration thanks to a more solid physique than before, his whole game could open up even more. And that, of course, has something to excite Thunder fans, who are having a very nice overview of the duo Josh Giddey – Chet Holmgren. If on our side we want to avoid igniting for Summer League games, there is no doubt that the core of Oklahoma City youngsters is one of the most promising in the League. This nucleus could grow much faster than expected if a playmaker of Giddey’s level takes a big leap in his sophomore campaign alongside local star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But in the meantime, we will continue to observe its rise in the next upcoming events. The program ? A third game at the SLC Summer League tonight against the Sixers, and then the big Las Vegas Summer League which should last a good ten days. On the Sin City side, the Thunder will cross paths with the Rockets (July 9), Magic (July 11), Kings (July 13) and Warriors (July 15), before a fifth and final game to be determined.
We do not want to put the cart before the horse, but there’s something to be hyped about the evolution of Josh Giddey. After making his mark in the NBA during his rookie season, the Australian highlighted the aspects of his game he needed to work on and we are already starting to see some results. Long live the sequel!
Source texte : ESPN