Since being drafted sixth overall in 2021, Josh Giddey has never come off the bench for the OKC Thunder.
He saw it all — from the Thunder’s 30-point blowout losses to the team’s first Play-In Tournament game where he dropped 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
Since then, however, Giddey has often been a liability on the floor for Oklahoma City. The Aussie guard has been posting career lows this season, averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
His playing time also hit rock bottom this season, only seeing the floor for about 25 minutes per game.
It's safe to say Giddey’s stock plummeted this year.
With teams clearly seeing him as the weakest link in the starting lineup, Giddey has been the vitriolic scapegoat and fallman in almost every Thunder loss. In most cases, these scrutinies have been justified.
While he is a necessary archetype for several schemes within OKC’s offensive playbook — like in the team’s Elbow Actions series — Giddey’s lack of shooting, underwhelming defense, and lackluster offense have brought more harm than good.
Perhaps those were the rationale why head coach Mark Daigneualt has tried having him come off the bench in the second half of games.
Looking at his season as a whole, there seem to be a few specific reasons why Josh Giddey has been a problem for the Thunder.
Hurting OKC Thunder’s spacing
Josh Giddey’s shooting has been his long-standing weakness, even before his days as an NBA player.
While he had been a better shooter since the OKC Thunder started winning last season, Giddey has not been particularly shooting the lights out this year. The 21-year-old guard has been shooting 32.8 percent from distance on three attempts per game, despite the daylight he receives against defenses.
This is a freaking problem. pic.twitter.com/iR9pnOfo92
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) March 4, 2024
To his credit, Giddey has been a willing shooter, often shooting long-range shots that are wide open as defenses sag off of him on numerous occasions this season.
As defenses deliberately neglect him in their defensive schemes, Giddey has hurt the Thunder’s offense, impairing the team’s spacing. With less space to work with, the Thunder’s plethora of magnificent drivers, such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, have had to work harder for their points
The way teams guard Giddey aggravates this concern, as opposing bigs have been attached to him, allowing them to remain lurking in the paint and tag potential cutters and inside incursions.
This was on full display last week when the Phoenix Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic, who was the primary defender for Giddey, watched the Aussie walk into a missed open three-pointer.
Opponents know they can live with Giddey shooting the ball. Certainly, his three-point attempts have been an eyesore all season.
Giddey being a non-threat shooter forces the Thunder to play 4-on-5 on offense, which they cannot afford against high-intensity playoff teams.
Limited offensive game
Josh Giddey’s shooting is just one story. His overall offensive game has been another dilemma the OKC Thunder has dealt with this season.
Both Giddey’s true shooting percentage and effective field goal rate have seen a decrease this season and have been under the league average this year as well.
His true shooting dropped to 52.9 percent this season, which falls below last year's mark at 53.3.
His effective field goal percentage has him at 50.4, a bit under last season's 51.6.
Giddey has also been having trouble going to the line as he's been shooting 1.4 free throws per outing, the lowest mark in his career.
His shot selection has also been suspect as he's relied heavily on his floaters when driving to the lane. While he is serviceable at best in this facet, it is hard to see him be consistent against taller defenders and rim protectors in the Western Conference.
His shooting touch is worrisome, an uncharacteristic trait for a player who is as great of a passer as he is. It is tough to see an opposing team's defense loosen up for the Thunder when Giddey remains underwhelming in these areas.
Unreliable defense
While his offense is a massive negative for the OKC Thunder, Josh Giddey’s defense has not been helping at all this season.
Giddey’s defensive breakdowns have continuously thrown a monkey wrench on the club's overall performances.
Simply put, the man is flawed on defense.
Essa posse defensiva do Giddey 🤮🤮🤮 pic.twitter.com/HB7H4Dkbqd
— Oklahoma City Brasil 🇧🇷 (@oklahoma_br) February 14, 2024
He is a poor point-of-attack defender, often losing matchups against better offensive players. With this inability to defend out on the perimeter, Giddey is often designated to cover spot-up shooters or parked in the corner.
His counting stats have also shown his lack of defensive awareness, as he's averaging under one steal and one block per game.
As a point forward in the Thunder’s grand scheme of things, Giddey should be able to defend multiple positions. To his credit, he tries really hard to resist the offense.
Giddey, however, remains a target for better offensive players, which could be fatal in playoff environments.
Giddey is also prone to defensive mistakes. He gets beaten on passes, as his awareness indicates that he sometimes is not up to the task defensively.
These problems could indicate early what is to come for the Thunder in the playoffs. These reasons could allow Giddey to easily be schemed out, and eliminate himself from the floor.
Time will tell if he can be in the playoff rotation come April.