The OKC Thunder have shocked the draft world. With the rumor mill flying pre-draft, the Thunder fanbase and media thought they had Sam Presti all figure out. That was our first mistake.
No, Oklahoma City did not trade up for one of the top names like Jalen Suggs, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, or Evan Mobley. No, they did not even trade up for Scottie Barnes, luckily…They also did not take Jonathan Kuminga or Scottie Barnes.
The OKC Thunder shock the NBA world with Josh Giddey selection
The OKC Thunder select the NBL 2020-21 NBL Rookie of the Year after averaging 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game logging 32 minutes per tilt. He led the NBBL in assists and finished sixth in rebounds.
Giddey is a big guard who can rebound, handle, and create for others. He certainly fits the positionless mold that Mark Daigneault and the new age OKC Thunder look for.
This is certainly a selection out of left field, but Giddey was top ten on almost everyone’s big board. The Thunder have a clear-cut new type that they look for. Gone are the freaky athletes that struggle to shoot. Now, it is about big versatile ball handlers.
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Giddey models his game after Ben Simmons, Luka Doncic, Joe Ingels and he needs his shooting to come along to become the fully formed player the OKC Thunder hope he can be.
With defensive struggles and catch-and-shoot issues, his fit next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is clear about wanting to be a point guard gets interesting.
However, the Thunder will have to make the duo work, and they can! As Royce Young of ESPN reports the team and SGA are focused on hammering out an extension for the 23-year-old guard.
The surprising shift came in the recent days after OKC brass met with Giddey in California. The NBL product did not hold private workouts with teams due to his obligations to the Australian National team.
Oklahoma City fans will get their first glimpse of Giddey on August 8th during the NBA Summer League, he confirmed to those of us in the media tonight.
As a fun fact about Giddey, his Sister Hannah Giddey plays basketball at Oral Roberts University. Being down the road from his sister made the parents of the Giddey ballers “over the moon.” according to Josh.
Giddey speaks glowingly about joining this OKC Thunder organization, while a gamble at six, it is time to bet on Sam Presti.