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Josh Giddey’s time in Oklahoma ended following Friday’s trade that sent him to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso. The Australian was picked No. 6 by the OKC Thunder in the 2021 draft and quickly carved a role in the team. After a stellar sophomore season, Giddey’s numbers, however, dropped.
From 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, he averaged 12.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 4.8 APG in his third year with the Thunder. The emergence of Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP-type season were big reasons for the versatile guard’s struggles.
Hours after news of the trade came out, Josh Giddey went on Instagram to say this:
“Thank you for EVERYTHING. … I am forever grateful. My brothers, who I got to share the floor with for 3 years. The best group of guys I could’ve imagined. Stuck with me through the very high highs and the very low lows. You know the real me.”
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In the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks, Josh Giddey’s weaknesses were exploited to the hilt by Luka Doncic and Co. The Mavericks sagged off of him to dare him to shoot. Jason Kidd’s defense was willing to live with him jacking up shots rather than allowing “SGA,” Williams and Chet Holmgren drives to the basket.
The ploy worked so well that OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was forced to bench Giddey in the last two games of the series. Isaiah Joe, who averaged 41.0% from deep in the playoffs, took over his spot in the starting lineup.
Although Oklahoma lost both games to bow out of the postseason, the Thunder wanted to move in that direction. GM Sam Presti released a statement saying how the coaching staff decided to make him start from the bench to “deploy our team more efficiently.” Giddey pushed back, greasing the wheels of a trade that sent him to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso.
The Thunder kept their faith in Josh Giddey in his most trying times
Arguably the toughest time Josh Giddey had to face last season was not his struggles with making shots from deep. What likely bothered him most was the accusations of having a relationship with an underaged female. The allegations prompted the police and the NBA to conduct their respective investigations.
After extensive work, the police finally ended the investigation saying that the accusations could not be corroborated. Through it all, the OKC Thunder kept its faith in Giddey and allowed him to play despite the vitriol the guard received in road games.
Mark Daigneault didn’t immediately pull out Josh Giddey from the starting lineup despite the Dallas Mavericks’ obvious strategy to let him shoot. It wasn’t until the OKC Thunder were on the brink of elimination that the reigning NBA Coach of the Year caved in. He gave Giddey all the opportunity to succeed. When it couldn’t happen, he had to make a drastic change.
The trade to Chicago seems like a win-win for the Thunder and the Bulls. Josh Giddey will have the freedom on offense he never had with OKC. He will likely be taking over Lonzo Ball’s role in the team. Mark Daigneault gets perhaps the NBA’s most versatile defender, one who can potentially make the Thunder a defensive juggernaut.
The OKC Thunder kept their faith in Josh Giddey through trying times. They were willing to let him go to see him succeed in ways he might not have done in Oklahoma.
