Josh Giddey Wants to ‘Build This Team Back to Where it Was’

The Thunder have overall been one of the most consistently successful NBA franchises since the team relocated to Oklahoma City. More recently, they hit reset and are currently amidst a rebuild, acquiring and developing young talent.

In the 2021 NBA Draft, Oklahoma City selected guard Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick. To this point in the season, the 19-year-old guard has exceeded expectations and has emerged as one of the brightest young stars in the NBA.

Giddey is a born winner, and wants to ensure he brings the Thunder back to contention. He recently spoke to Gadiel Notelovitz of Fox Sports Australia, giving insight into his goals for the young Thunder roster over the next few seasons.

“Hopefully a lot of us can grow together and build this team back to where it was five or 10 years ago with KD, Russ and all those guys here,” Giddey said.

It will take a lot to get to that point, but with Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sharing a backcourt, the Thunder are headed in the right direction. In Giddey’s eyes, they're the backcourt of the future in Oklahoma City.

“Hopefully me and him are together for the next 15 years.” said Giddey. “So there’s going to be times where there’s going to be frustration because we both want the ball. But I think that’s part of the process, and being a good backcourt [player] is learning to play off the ball.”

With another successful draft this offseason, adding another young cornerstone could really set OKC up for sustained playoff success moving forward.

In the meantime, Giddey appreciates the opportunity playing on a young team, which allows him to get minutes and develop at a quicker rate.

“Coming into a young team, I knew there were going to be opportunities straight away, which was the best part about being here,” said Giddey.

He's averaging 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per contest as a rookie thus far.

While the Thunder aren’t winning a ton of games this season, currently sitting at 18-39, the team is trending in the right direction. As such, Giddey recognizes how bright the future is in Oklahoma City.

“It’s a special group of guys we’ve got; we’re all young and it’s a hungry group,” the 6-foot-9 guard said. “We might not have as many wins as we probably want at the moment, but the future’s bright for this team, and I’m excited for where it’s going to go.”

In a small market like Oklahoma City, things look different for young players. Although playing in the NBA comes with high pressure situations, the lights aren’t as bright in small markets. To Giddey, playing in OKC is exactly what he wanted coming into the draft.

“There’s so many distractions and things going on that it’s hard to stay focused on basketball. Whereas here in Oklahoma, there’s not a whole lot to do. So, a lot of your focus and attention is on basketball, which is a blessing in disguise. And this is where I wanted to end up, so I’m very happy I’m here.”

With at least another couple of years left in the rebuild, there’s still moves to make if the Thunder are going to get back to the postseason. With that in mind, they’ve gotten off to a great start and have a cornerstone piece in Giddey who is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

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