Josh Giddey’s Jumper Is Key To Thunder Rebuild Success

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 13: Josh Giddey #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots against Jevon … [+] Carter #0 of the Brooklyn Nets during their game at Barclays Center on January 13, 2022 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Following a spectacular rookie season, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey is entering what could be a breakout 2022-23 campaign. Standing at 6-foot-9, the 19-year-old is already one of the best passers in this league. Additionally, he’s an elite positional rebounder and led the team in that category last season as a rookie.

“The bigs are boxing out the big guys, so I’m able to swoop in for some of those rebounds,” said Giddey when asked why he’s so effective on the glass. “The good thing is it’s a way to start the fast break. When I get the rebound, I can kick it ahead or bring it up myself. It’s a good way to get into the offense early. But I’ve always had a knack for pulling down rebounds.”

The passing and rebounding upside of the Australian phenom led to four triple-doubles in just 54 games on the court during the 2021-22 season. Giddey became the youngest player in the NBA to ever record a triple-double and finished as one of three players (Ben Simmons & Luka Doncic) in the past 25 years to notch four or more triple-doubles in their rookie season.

Giddey is without question on track to be a star in the NBA later in his career, but there’s one key piece of his game that’s limiting his ceiling. The jumper for the young guard needs quite a bit of work. Last season Giddey shot just 26.3% from beyond the arc.

If he’s able to improve as a perimeter shooter, that will only open up the rest of his offensive game. Giddey already has a nice floater and paint game, meaning the shooting could truly round out his offensive attack.

Luckily for Giddey, this shooting hurdle could soon be removed.

Earlier in the offseason, Oklahoma City made a huge move in adding Chip Engelland to the coaching staff. Spending the last 17 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Engelland is known for being one of the best shooting coaches in the world.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gave insight into Engelland’s role with the team this season during Monday’s Media Day. He mentioned that the new assistant wouldn’t be at every game or practice, giving the impression that this role is unique. It appears as if he’ll be working more closely with select players over others.

Giddey appears to be perhaps the most focal point of Engelland’s role in Oklahoma City. Several players, including guard Lu Dort, indicated this week that they hadn’t really had the chance to meet Engelland yet. On the flip side, Giddey mentioned that he’s been in the gym with the legendary coach two to three times a day.

If Giddey is going to break out this season, it will be because of improved shooting. He’s willing to admit that’s an area he needs to work on and is embracing the help of the legendary shooting coach.

“Being a better shooter isn’t something I shy away from. It’s something I owned and knew I had to get better at. There’s really nobody better than Chip,” said Giddey at Media Day.

When it was reported that the Thunder were adding Engelland to the staff, Giddey’s agent was even excited about it, knowing this was going to be extremely beneficial for the young guard’s career long-term.

The shooting limitations were further validated in NBA Summer League two months ago, as Giddey dominated his competition but was one of the least efficient 3-point shooters on the circuit.

In the modern NBA, shooting is everything. There’s very few players that have become stars while being poor 3-point shooters. As such, not only does Giddey’s improvement on that front impact his ceiling, but also the future success of the Thunder’s rebuild.

When asked about his work with Engelland thus far and the changes to his shot mechanics, Giddey mentioned there’s nothing significant about his shot that is being changed.

“It’s not a whole lot different than last year, just a few minor changes. Chip hasn’t restructured my shot or anything. It was just minor things, hand placement, just different things we’re working on.”

With the upside Giddey has given he’s a guard with unique size that can play up to four positions, there’s a real belief internally that he’s going to be a core piece of the Thunder roster for the next decade or more. As the young team continues to evolve over the next several years, the hiring of Engelland could be something looked back upon as one of the most important moves of the entire rebuild process.

“He’s a genius at what he does and I trust the things he has in place for me,” said Giddey. “Hopefully over the long course it starts to improve better and better. He’s the best in the business. I’m excited to get to work with him.”

Giddy reaching his All-Star ceiling could be significantly impacted by his improvement as a shooter.

With how technical shooting is, it’s going to be a slow process with Giddey. The expectation shouldn’t be that he emerges as a deep threat immediately this season. But over time, the process will work itself out and the rising star should naturally become a more consistent perimeter shooter.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholascrain/2022/09/27/reaching-the-ceiling-josh-giddeys-jumper-is-key-to-thunder-rebuild-success/