In the weeks before the draft, scouting reports came out about each of the draft prospects likely to be picked early in the draft. One graphic describing Josh Giddey listed his weaknesses as (takes deep breath): Ball Handling, Shot Creation, Assertiveness, Outside Shooting, On-Ball Defense, and Athleticism. A meme began to circulate describing his weakness as “basketball.” Considering that graphic and the public’s general lack of knowledge about him, he was often seen as a bit of a reach. Just partway through his first season, it is pretty clear that he was not one.
Josh Giddey became the youngest player to get a triple-double in the NBA on February 12th in a game against the Chicago Bulls. On February 14th, Giddey and the Thunder faced off against the New York Knicks. In that game, GIddey showed off all the skills that make him special and had a career game. Against the Knicks, Giddey recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. He also helped his squad get a four-point overtime win. He will not be putting numbers like that consistently anytime soon, but it's an indication of just how high he can climb.
The appeal of Josh Giddey starts and ends with his passing ability. He does not have the flair of someone like Lamelo Ball, but his creativity, vision, and accuracy already make him one of the most dangerous passers in the league. Giddey is most effective when he can spray long-range passes all around the court. He can do it from the top of the key, off the dribble, in pick and roll situations, or in transition. Occasionally he is a little overaggressive with his passes, and his 3.2 turnovers per game is a result of that, but as he develops his decision-making will only continue to improve. For now, we can enjoy the many passes he does connect on. Giddey is a balanced passer, but he truly shines most with a few specific skills and passes. The first is his ability to attract the defense to him in the lane and kick it out to the corners. If you do not stay glued to your man, he will punish you for it. Against almost anyone else, it would be stupid not to help a little off a shooter on the opposite side of the court. If you do that against Giddey, he will do something like this:
Those passes are technically difficult, but his technical ability isn't what makes him special. Giddey plays basketball like an elite quarterback, looking off his defenders before firing off the pass. He looks straight at the rim until the moment he delivers the ball. It is not something unique to him, but he legitimately is one of the best in the world at that particular pass. If those passes were not somehow enough to prove that to you, here is about 1 minute of Giddey picking defenses apart with that same pass: (You are very welcome):
So when Josh Giddey gets into the lane, your top concern should probably be sticking to the shooters around the perimeter, right? Wrong. Giddey is even more effective at finding cutters, usually with incredible bounce passes that cut through groups of defenders and lead cutters and rollers straight to the basket. He loves to dare big men to come up and help against him, and if they do, he goes right to that bounce pass. He can throw a long-ranged bounce pass with the best of them, but his specialty is short, heavily angled bounce passes. By using such a sharp angle, he can get the ball to players that appear to be covered. For longer passes, he generally goes to the traditional chest pass or a quick baseball pass if he needs the extra velocity, but he breaks out his patented bounce pass occasionally in those situations as well. His toolbag is very deep, and if you have option covered he will beat you with another. Here are his best passes to cutters against the Knicks.
More than any other role, playmakers need a unique flair and unique style. If you haven't caught onto it yet, Giddey thrives by moving slowly until the moment he decides to speed things up. He loves to lull you in by moving slowly and methodically moving around the circle. But once he sees an open window for a pass, defenders should hope they don't have to blink. If they do, they might open their eyes to see the Thunder have scored. Giddey always plays with that attitude, but it is most obvious on his passes to rollers and cutters. From baseball passes across the court or close quarters bounce passes, here are some more of Giddey’s best passes into the paint:
Giddey is far from a complete player. He occasionally has issues with his defense, his shooting is inconsistent, and his lack of athleticism may put a ceiling on his volume scoring abilities. But his weakness damn sure isn't basketball. In fact, at this point, it’s clearly his strength.
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