Oklahoma City Thunder rookie watch at the halfway point of the season

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie watch – Josh  Giddey

The Oklahoma City Thunder sent a few ripples of shock through the NBA world when they selected the little-known Australian Josh Giddey with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Then when he went down in the Las Vegas summer league opener for the Thunder, there were concerns from the faithful.

Well, it is safe to say that the 2020 NBL Rookie of the Year has put concerns about his ability to rest. He almost collected a triple-double against the LA Clippers with eight points, 10 assists, and an incredible 18 rebounds. With just two more points, he would have owned the youngest triple-double ever at 19 years and 69 days.

Then, after he collected a double-double where he did not score a few games later (a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1971) Giddey rectified that triple-double issue.

He had 17 points, 14 assists, and 13 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks, and now holds the record for the youngest player to collect a triple-double at 19 years and 84 days.

Aside from the accolades, Giddey is averaging 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game. These numbers are incredible for a rookie, and the scary thing for the rest of the NBA is that he is only going to get better. The Thunder are going to be well served by Giddey and the rest of their rookie brigade for the coming seasons.