Thunder’s Josh Giddey Is About to Surpass Westbrook’s Rookie Assist Record
Nearly 14 years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder were playing their first NBA season. That same year, Russell Westbrook was putting the league on notice in his rookie season, recording 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists as a 20 year old while setting several franchise records as a rookie.
One of those records is his 435 assists he accumulated across 82 games. Yes, Westbrook holds the record for most assists in a season by a Thunder rookie and most assists in a season by a 20-year-old Thunder player.
At the time, it was rare for a guard to enter the league and rack up so many dimes at that age. In fact, prior to Westbrook’s 2008-09 season, only five other guards had ever produced so many assists at 20 years old or younger: Chris Paul, LeBron James, Stephon Marbury, Isiah Thomas, and the great Magic Johnson.
Now, 14 years later, Josh Giddey needs just 14 assists to pass Westbrook’s rookie assist record. No, Giddey isn’t a rookie, but he is 20 years old.
Apples to apples, right?
It should be noted that the sophomore guard hailing from Australia would have likely shattered Westbrook’s rookie assist numbers if he had played all 82 games last season. Giddey was on track to hit a whopping 523 assists as a 19 year old. Instead, Giddey played in just 54 contests after experiencing hip soreness.
Fast-forwarding to modern day, Giddey, who is averaging 6.1 assists per game this season, should surpass Westbrook at some point within the next few games.
The Thunder are set to play the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. CST. While Giddey is more than capable of throwing 14 dimes in a single game, if he doesn’t do it against Portland, the Thunder’s home crowd may get to see him etch his name in the record books as he is set to play back-to-back games at home against the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
