The NBA schedule is essentially a quarter of the way complete and with it the rookie rankings for week six are upon us. OKC Thunder top draft pick point guard Josh Giddey remains in the mix for the best in class which is a major accomplishment given how deep the 2021 class is.
As projected there are numerous talents from this group and while each week finds new members making a mark the top five have essentially been the same this season. That is other than Cade Cunningham knocking out either Chris Duarte or Franz Wagner from members’ top five lists.
OKC Thunder guard Giddey explodes in week 6 rookie rankings
In terms of the week six listing, the strong week by Josh Giddey nudged him up some boards he previously wasn’t garnering much shine from. For the experts who recognized his talents from the start, he cemented his position and in some cases moved up the ladder.
Injuries are taking a toll on the league and also the rookie class either as they exit (Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green) or pick up additional playing time due to teammate’s injuries (Bones Hyland).
Here’s how Josh Giddey performed in week six of the rookie ladder — and also read through for a second OKC Thunder rookie who got some shine this week.
NBA – Steve Aschburner
The top expert for rookie ranking Steve Aschburner continues to serve up accolades for the OKC Thunder rookie Josh Giddey.
The Australian is fourth on his week six ladder. While Aschburner points to his rough night in the first match versus the Rockets it’s likely Giddey was already suffering from flu-like symptoms.
His comments on Giddey are below and to view Aschburner’s full week six rookie rankings article click here.
"After averaging 15-7-6 against Washington and Utah, Giddey had a 1-for-9 night, missing all five 3-pointers, against lowly Houston. Still, he stayed in the game with his work on the boards and dishing the ball, currently his two greatest assets. A quarter of the way into his first NBA season, the 19-year-old is silencing skeptics nightly, and given his decisions and daring with the ball, his 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio (even better if you factor in OKC teammates’ missed shots) especially is impressive."
CBS – Jasmyn Wimbish:
For the quarter mark, CBS writer Jasmyn Wimbish elects to narrow her article to the top five rookies and Josh Giddey makes the cut. She hasn’t always been as keen about the OKC Thunder guard with him frequently missing the top five cut but six weeks in he clears the hurdle to land third on her list up from sixth last week.
With Giddey becoming just the third teenager (LeBron James, LaMelo Ball) to collect 100 assists and 100 rebounds in 20 games the national writers are viewing his contributions with more respect. Part of Wimbish’s Giddey excerpt is below but to check out some of the film and the rest of her full week six rookie ranking article click here.
"He leads all rookies in assists per game, and that figure would undoubtedly be higher if his teammates knocked down more shots as he ranks in the top 20 in the league in potential assists (11.4). The guard’s 31.2 assist percentage also ranks first in the league among wing players, per Cleaning the Glass. But it’s not just the flashy passes that make Giddey’s game noteworthy; he delivers smart, well-placed passes to teammates who can just immediately catch and shoot the ball."
Hoops Habit – Corey Rausch:
Not only does Josh Giddey make Hoops Habit writer Corey Rausch’s top five this week but he’s joined by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who makes his debut on the HH list.
On JRE, Rausch notes the impact the rookie has had on the Thunder starting lineup and cites how Mark Daigneault effectively uses him in a small-ball lineup. A portion of the JRE excerpt is below:
"Robinson-Earl should only continue to look more and more comfortable as the season goes along. He is a clear foundational piece and his role in the lineup has been cemented. Even if some of the others picks end up bumping him a couple of rungs down this ladder, he deserves the shout-out for making the transition this early in his career. He is doing all the dirty work, as is common for Villanova products at this point"
Josh Giddey also makes Rausch’s top five coming in ahead of Cade Cunningham who lands fourth and the OKC Thunder point guard nabs the third rung. Rausch calls Giddey’s passing skills the most impressive of all the talents the rookies have displayed — high praise!
A portion of the Giddey excerpt is below and you can view Rausch’s week six rookie rankings in full by clicking here.
"Josh Giddey’s consistency so far this season has done enough to move him past the number one overall pick in the rankings. He is on a streak of six straight games of scoring in double-digits, including tying a career-high 19 points…Giddey is a wizard, finding passing lanes that others in this class can only dream of. Of all of the signature skills in this class, his passing may be the most impressive offensive skill to date."
Intentions list:
A fantastic week for Josh Giddey who got the nod as the Western Conference Rookie of the Month (for October/November). His achievement to collect 100 assists and 100 rebounds in his first 20 games put him in the rarified territory as only the third teenager to do so (LeBron James, LaMelo Ball).
That Giddey has moved ahead of other rookies in the West like Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga only punctuates Sam Presti’s ability to spot talent.
For Intentions full week 6 rookie ladder click here.
"From the moment he stepped on the Summer League court, it’s been clear Josh Giddey was the right pick at sixth. In retrospect, it’s funny now to think of how many shooters and 3-point snipers we scouted. Sam Presti was always going to take the top talent and Giddey was definitely that. In fact, based on the early return, he was very likely a steal at six.Rookie category rankings:Assists: 5.8 – firstOffensive rebounds: 1.6 – tied secondDouble-Doubles: threeRebounds: 7.2 – thirdTurnovers: 2.8 – thirdBlocks: 0.7 – thirdSteals: 1.0 – tied sixthField Goals Made: 4.3 – seventhMinutes per game: 29.4 – sixthPoints: 10.4 – eighthField Goal Percent: 39.1%3-point field goal percent: 25.7%"
Overall Josh Giddey is making an impression to all the national writers who are recognizing the OKC Thunder seem to have found their starting backcourt for the future. Now, if Presti can work his magic to add a trio of frontcourt talents the rise back to prominence could be on the near horizon.