A month into the season the rookie ladder experienced the most movement to this point as the top pick is rounding into form. The OKC Thunder top draft selection Josh Giddey remained on the national site boards for the most part in the top five.
While Cade Cunningham impressed the pundits the Jalen’s are still struggling to find efficiency and fit their role within the Rockets (Green) and Magic (Suggs). Green is performing better in that regard but not well enough to push other rookies like Giddey out of the top five.
OKC Thunder guard Giddey holds steady in week 4 rookie rankings
While the top two positions have been a back and forth through the first month of play this week threw a wrench into things. Just as Evan Mobley was poised to claim the top spot across most pundit lists he suffered an injury that will remove him from the equation for two to four weeks.
That might not rule him out of claiming the hardware at season end but it won’t help.
OKC Thunder’s top rookie selection Josh Giddey has also flirted with dropping off lists but the team’s winning streak and his overall contributions are holding him steady. If the two Jalen’s ever find their groove that situation could change but one notable is Pacers Chris Duarte who scores more than Giddey was dropped from lists while Giddey held tight proving the writers recognize rebounds and assists are equally important to scoring.
Not every site provided a new rookie ranking in week four (Bleacher Report) but the main three are in play as well as the Intentions rookie ladder. Here’s where Josh Giddey placed in those rankings.
NBA – Steve Aschburner
Much like Intentions list the injury to Evan Mobley affected his position in the fight between himself and Raptors Scottie Barnes for the top rookie ladder rung. As Aschburner notes it doesn’t remove Mobley from the potential to win rookie of the year but it sure puts a damper on it and more importantly impacts the Cavaliers’ ability to retain their position in the East.
As for Josh Giddey, Aschburner touches on the relationship between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder rookie noting how seamlessly the duo is meshing with little negative impact to SGA’s overall production and stats.
In week four the NBA writer moves Giddey up one rung to fourth from his fifth position of last week.
Click here to view Aschburner’s full week four rookie rankings.
"One of the bigger questions coming out of Thunder camp was how Giddey was going to mesh with holdover guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt, given the latter’s preeminence in 2020-21. So far, so good on that front: SG-A has seen his assists drop from 5.9 to 4.2, but he still tops OKC in usage (27.7% compared to last season’s 27.8%) and he’s launching the most 3-pointers of his career. Giddey’s ball skills make him must-see, and his 19.9% usage rate ranks sixth on the team. He did struggle from the field this week, making only 11 of 38 shots overall and 4 of 16 from the arc."
CBS – Jasmyn Wimbish:
Last week CBS writer dropped Josh Giddey out of her top ten and while he reemerged this week it’s in the sixth position. Wimbish clearly values different aspects to the rookies as there are several placements to take umbrage with however the fact Giddey makes the list is positive so let’s not quibble. Wimbish offers some film on Giddey dimes that can be viewed along with her full rookie ranking for week four here.
"Giddey’s scoring numbers the past couple weeks haven’t been great, as he’s shooting just 28 percent from the field and 20 percent from deep in the last six games. That’s a stark difference compared to the first seven games of the season where he shot a respectable 44 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from long range. But despite the low scoring numbers, his passing and being a playmaker for his teammates has been a positive impact for the Thunder."
Hoops Habit – Corey Rausch:
Josh Giddey holds steady in fourth on Hoops Habit rookie list of Corey Rausch for week four saying the quiet part out loud… While Giddey fills up the stat sheet his shooting needs improvement and it makes it impossible for him to climb higher on the ladder with such a talented and deep draft class.
Rausch’s excerpt on Giddey is below and his full article can be viewed here.
"Hanging on by a thread, Josh Giddey continues to stuff the stat sheet. Week in and week out he is among the league leaders in rookie rebounding (third) and assists (first), but leaves much more to be desired.Unlike the next person on this list, he is also given much less of the burden to create as he plays alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Giddey needs to improve his efficiency in order to keep up with the scoring threats that join him on this list. It is unfair, in most classes, to hold players to this standard, but the class is competing at such a high level on a night-to-night basis, that it is required to stay on top."
Intentions list:
For this week’s Intentions rookie ladder, the top five remained similar to last week although a new player joined the quintet and several other shifts on the ladder occurred.
OKC Thunder top draft pick Josh Giddey was one of the recognized members of the Intentions week four rookie ladder with evidence why he deserved to make the cut.
A portion of the excerpt and leaderboard placement for Giddey is below. To view the article in its entirety, find out where Giddey ranked, and who the other four rookies are click this link.
"A perfect example of a rookie who impacts winning is our very own OKC Thunder point guard Josh Giddey. It’s not just that he’s running the offense Giddey is doing the relevant things that impact winning like grabbing rebounds and snaring steals that lead to easy buckets.Rookie category rankings:Assists: 6.2 – firstBlocks: 0.6 – tied secondSteals: 1.2 – thirdRebounds: 6.6 – thirdDouble-Doubles: one (tied third)Turnovers: 2.8 – fourthOffensive rebounds: 1.5 – fourthField Goals Made: 3.8 – eighthPoints: 9.0 – tenthField Goal Percent: 37.1%"
Week four offered Giddey some shine from the National sites and blogs — deservedly so. Does Giddey make your top five rookies in week four and who fills out your quintet? Let us know in the comments section.