Monday night, Josh Giddey is slated to make his first trip back to Paycom Center since being traded from the OKC Thunder to the Chicago Bulls last offseason.
Selected sixth overall by the organization back in 2021, the Australian-born baller was brought to Oklahoma City with the hopes of serving as a backcourt building block alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander heading into the future.
Throughout his tenure in the Sooner State, the promise of his all-around offensive potential was more than evident. From his 6-foot-8 frame to his natural lead guard style of play, Giddey established himself as an exciting, highly versitile talent that could fill many roles and positions within the rotation.
Of course, with OKC ultimately prioritizing SGA as their primary star and on-ball weapon, the one role the Thunder actually needed the youngster to plug into was as an off-ball creator and shot-maker, which, as made painfully obvious in his third and final season, he was unable to do.
During his 2023-24 campaign, Josh Giddey witnessed his per-game metrics and overall efficiency absolutely plummet with his newly designated responsibilities, seeing career lows in key statistical categories such as points (12.3) and assists (4.8).
Things got so bad, in fact, that during Oklahoma City's playoff run, coach Mark Daigneault decided to cut back on the youngster's involvement in the rotation, ultimately sending him to the bench during their ill-fated semifinal matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
Little did fans know that these final games with him coming off the bench would prove to be his last with the Thunder, as he was dealt to Chicago just a month following their six-game elimination.
Now, roughly nine months since his departure, Giddey finds himself heading back to the place he called home for three seasons for the first time.
While some in his position may be returning with disdain and bitterness for how things ended up playing out, in a recent piece by Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, it was revealed that the point guard believes his fall from grace "was probably the best thing for me."
Josh Giddey looks back on Thunder tenure with love, not scorn
During a recent chat with the publication, Giddey opened up about his demotion during his final days playing with the Thunder last season.
While he acknowledged that losing his starting spot, especially in such a big moment like the NBA Playoffs, was "a tough pill for me to swallow," he followed this up by revealing that, when looking back, "it was probably what I needed at that point of my career."
"Most of the time, you feel like, ‘Oh, you don’t want to go through that.' But … they made the right decision in what they did, in terms of the playoffs, that whole series, and matchup-wise, they did it for the right reasons. I don’t ever look back in anger or whatever towards OKC. I had nothing but great things to say about OKC," Giddey said.
Above all else, as made fully apparent during the months after the trade and following their October 26 matchup out in Chicago, Giddey's fondness for OKC and his former teammates seems to be fully reciprocated by the remaining members of the franchise.
Clearly, the point guard comes into Monday's contest with nothing short of love and appreciation in his heart for the Thunder, as they not only gave him his start to an NBA career but also sent him to a situation with the Bulls where he currently finds himself thriving.
Amid a career-best campaign, Josh Giddey finds himself dropping impressive averages of 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 38.0 percent from distance.
Since the All-Star break, there's also a case to be made that the 22-year-old has been the best player in the entire league, as he's been dropping ridiculous stat sheet-stuffing averages of 21.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists on 51.5 percent shooting from the floor and 49.2 percent shooting from distance while guiding Chicago to an 11-8 record along the way.
With him leading the charge, the Bulls are in a serious position to clinch a Play-In Tournament berth, while Giddey seems to be making a strong case to receive a lucrative new contract this coming summer.
Overall, it is understandable why there is no ill-will or lost love between the point guard and the OKC Thunder.