3 Things Australia’s FIBA World Cup stint reveals about Thunder players
Josh Giddey has bulked up, and that was clear as the OKC Thunder guard participated in the FIBA World Cup.
The evolution of Josh Giddey’s drives has been staggering. He used to shy away from contacts when driving to the baskets as his relatively young body could not hold up to the physicality of the NBA.
This has been a welcomed development for the OKC Thunder, broadening the layers of Mark Daigneault’s offense.
In the five games at the FIBA World Cup, Josh Giddey averaged a team-high 19 points, six assists, and five rebounds per outing.
📊 26 PTS I 5 REB I 11 AST
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 29, 2023
Josh Giddey's double-double earns him TCL Player of the Game! 🙌#FIBAWC x #WinForAustralia I #InspireGreatness pic.twitter.com/Z7v83nza0J
His strength, aided by his six-foot-eight, 215-pound frame, often overpowered defenders and allowed him to score quickly in the paint or dish out to his teammates.
This was especially evident in his body bumps when he drove. Few defenders stayed in front of him when he did this, and the scoring magnitude in which the Australian squad gravitated off in these drives and scoring opportunities proved to be a pivotal part of their offense throughout the tournament.
His reps in the World Cup should help the OKC Thunder scale an offensive system around their young core. It is just a matter of time before we see Giddey play like he did in the World Cup in the NBA. That means all the good news for the OKC Thunder.