Thunder Rookie Josh Giddey Impressed in Preseason Debut

Oklahoma City rookie Josh Giddey impressed the home crown at Paycom Center in his preseason debut.

To the applause of fans strewn throughout the arena, rookie Josh Giddey made his debut in Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center on Monday night.

And a debut it was.

Giddey hadn’t seen much NBA action until Monday’s contest, as he turned his ankle just five minutes into his Summer League debut. But the lengthy 6-foot-8 guard has plenty of professional experience under his belt.

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Giddey’s path to the NBA was one already trodden. Even by one of his opponents on Monday.

LaMelo Ball, who starred for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL before earning Rookie of the Year in the NBA, coasted to a quick 15 points, six rebounds and five assists against OKC.

And yet despite the 113-97 loss, it was a different NBL product who caught the attention of Thunder fans.

Whether it was slicing through double-teams for a two-handed slam, zipping passes around or even spotting up for the occasional three-ball, Giddey did it all in his not-so-official debut.

The sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft finished with a team-high 18 points, and tacked on seven rebounds and three assists.

When asked how good he was feeling on the court, Giddey deflected the question like a true professional.

“My teammates made the job easier for me,” Giddey said. “Obviously Shai and Lu attract a lot of attention so I can play more freely. Lanes open up because everyone is so focused on those guys.”

A highly-questioned choice in Sam Presti’s 2021 Draft, it’s clear Giddey is comfortable in an NBA setting, regardless of his performance.

The stats to me tonight didn’t really worry me,” Giddey explained. “It was more about coming out and getting a feel, getting used to the NBA league. Getting adjusted to the physicality, the pace of the game which is a big change from where I was at last year.”

Giddey will continue to build off his stellar performance in a Sunday matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

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