In the as in all walks of life, growth doesn’t follow any linear path. Teams and players develop into powerhouses and stars by overcoming setbacks and rising in the face of adversity. Josh Giddey, of the , is finally tapping into his potential by leveraging how defenses view him -- and by trusting the process. Amid the of the Thunder this season, Josh Giddey in the third chapter of his young career. Teams continued taking advantage of his
shooting limitations, and as Oklahoma developed into one of the West’s premiere contenders, Giddey’s shortcomings were becoming increasingly less acceptable. Teams Can Customize Defensive Schemes Around Giddey Throughout the season, teams started cross-matching Giddey with their center, trusting that Oklahoma’s point guard wouldn’t make them pay once their big man blatantly sagged off him. “I had never encountered that coverage in my life,” , who had subsequently seen his playing time cut short. “I used to hate it. I used to dread coming into a game knowing a big was going to guard me. I used to think, ‘It’s another one of those nights where they’re gonna dare me to shoot it.’ I used to judge my games so much on if I made or missed threes.” Those were Giddey’s words following the Thunder's 103-128 win over the on Friday, where Phoenix assigned big man Jusuf Nurkic to guard Giddey. This marked the fourth instance in two weeks, following match-ups against the with Daniel Gafford, the with Jaren Jackson Jr., and the with , where opposing teams assigned their center to guard Giddey. As in all those previous match-ups, Josh Giddey and the Thunder ended up . The
Australian jumbo-sized guard finished the night with 23 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, just coming off a 31-point performance against the two days earlier. Josh Giddey's Improvement PPG 11.2 16.3 APG 4.4 5.5 TS% 51.4% 64.6% USG% 23.3% 25.5% Undeniably, something shifted in Giddey’s approach to the game. " " That’s precisely what happened six minutes into Friday’s contest. The Thunder opened the game by scoring four straight shots around the rim without much resistance from Nurkic, who was occupied with Giddey spaced out on the perimeter. Phoenix immediately adjusted by putting Grayson Allen on Giddey, which the Aussie then exploited through his size advantage. But how have Giddey and his teammates exactly overcome the structural issue inherent to his lack of shooting? Well, the Thunder have countered this defensive tactic by using Giddey as a “hub” on the perimeter, which pulls his defender out of the paint and where he can leverage his striking vision and size. Giddey also credited Thunder’s brilliant head coach and offensive mind for his play calling, especially on out-of-timeout situations. Giddey's Shooting Has Improved Averaging 16.3 points per game on 64.4 true-shooting percentage in March, a 10.0 percent uptick in efficiency from his season’s average, Josh Giddey remains focused on the process rather than the outcome. He’s converted 22 of his 55 attempts from distance this past month – including back-to-back triples in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s win against the Pelicans to swing the game in their favor. Despite this impressive shot-making stretch, Giddey refuses to let game-to-game variances transcend his perception. “ ” This transparency and all-around coolness are what really sets this Oklahoma City team apart – well beyond their years. They are the perfect embodiment of the spaced, drive-heavy era of
NBA basketball currently unfolding before our eyes. Josh Giddey remains a flawed player whose limitations might hinder his viability in a playoff setting, but this spike of confidence and production couldn't come at a better time. With the postseason around the corner and sidelined for a few games, the Thunder badly needed their young point guard to finally break through his long-lasting struggles. With this level of composure and talent, Josh Giddey and the Oklahoma City Thunder are bound to leave an indelible mark in this league – and .