This summer, the OKC Thunder decided that three years was all they were willing to give Josh Giddey, as they shipped the point guard out to the Chicago Bulls in late June in a simple swap exchange for elite 3-and-D veteran, Alex Caruso.
Selected sixth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Australian-born baller came into the association as a highly-touted backcourt prospect and, throughout his tenure in Loud City, he showed legitimate flashes of his ability to become a future star, with guys like LeBron James even finding themselves heaping praise upon his unique, multi-faceted skill set.
Unfortunately, during what ended up being his final season out in Loud City, Giddey easily saw his least impressive campaign in the association to date, as he posted career-low averages nearly all across the board. Through 80 games played, the 21-year-old dropped just 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists a night.
Of course, his lessening in production was not necessarily a sign of any talent regressions but, rather, a result of mental fatigue due to dealing with off-court issues and constant role reshuffling within head coach Mark Daigneault's rotation.
During a recent appearance on Ball Magnets, Giddey opened up about exactly these struggles to host Tom Mitchell and provided an ear-catching descriptor of how his final season felt with the Thunder.
Josh Giddey says final season with OKC Thunder felt like a 'nightmare'
Comparing the 2023-24 to that of a "nightmare that was never going to end," Giddey noted that he never was able to find a consistent groove during his send-off tour with the Thunder.
"I felt like I couldn't get going. I'd string one, two, three good games together and then there'd be a stretch of bad ones. It just felt like I could never build any momentum," Giddey said.
Said stretches of "bad ones" seemed to last for weeks on end throughout the campaign, as he would follow up sensational triple-double performances like the one he dropped against the Trail Blazers on January 11 with an abysmal one just four nights later against the Lakers where he posted 8 points on 25.0 percent shooting.
From there, four of his next seven outings would see single-digit scoring figures while averaging a mere 9.3 points and 4.3 assists on 42.2 percent shooting from the floor and 19.0 percent shooting from distance.
Of course, there would still be solid periods of play throughout the year, especially during a 20-game stretch from March 4 to April 10 where he averaged 16.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on 54.8 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from distance, and Giddey credited one specific thing for keeping him afloat throughout: His teammates.
"The thing I found the best was just integrating myself into the team. Whether I was on the plane, at hotels, in the locker room, just being around my teammates made things so much better," Giddey said.
Describing his experience with his former running mates behind closed doors as "some of the best times" and going as far as to call several of those still residing on the Thunder as "some of my closest friends," it's evident that despite the ups-and-downs of 2023-24 and, ultimately, his departure from the franchise, there's no love lost between Giddey and Oklahoma City.
Based on comments made by players and personnel since his exit this summer, the feeling seems to be mutual.
Now, with the endless nightmare seemingly in the rearview, Giddey looks to begin a new chapter in his professional career out in the Windy City, where he'll be taking command of the backcourt for a team in Chicago that lacks any true point guard talents (at least ones that are healthy) and has been on the outside looking in on a playoff berth for two straight seasons now.
In this new situation, the former lottery selection believes his full potential may finally be able to be revealed which, considering he boasts a floor general style of play coupled with a tweener forward's build at 6-foot-8, could prove to be truly enthralling.