Rising Star Josh Giddey Opens Up On Oklahoma City Thunder’s Playoff Chase And 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend

Oklahoma City Thunder star Josh Giddey is making quite the name for himself early on his NBA career.

Giddey is in the midst of helping lead the most surprising team in the NBA to a potential playoff berth. The Thunder — which is the youngest squad in the NBA with an average player age of slightly over 23 years old — are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference and just 1.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the sixth spot in the West.

The 20-year-old Giddey, a playmaking guard from Australia, is one of the biggest reasons why. The 6-foot-8 guard is averaging 16.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while playing a Scottie Pippen-type of role alongside first-time All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 30.8 points per game this season.

Giddey — who participated in the Rising Stars Challenge for the second consecutive season alongside Thunder teammate Jalen Williams — spoke of Oklahoma City’s push for the playoffs during All-Star weekend while making an appearance as a JBL ambassador at their Peaks on Peaks event at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah.

“No, not surprised,” Giddey said when asked if he’s surprised by the Thunder’s early success. “I think we’re doing better than people would have expected to be at this part of the season. Internally we knew we had a good team. We were capable of winning close games, beating good teams and this year we’ve definitely made progressions from where we were at 12 months ago. It’s a young group, we’re continuing to progress upwards, and I think we’ve done that.”

Despite how tight the Western Conference playoff race currently is, the 20-year-old phenom says that although Oklahoma City is in 10th place right now, anything could happen over the next several weeks.

As far as participating in the NBA All-Star weekend festivities goes, Giddey said connecting with fellow players is the best part of the experience.

“It’s been great,” Giddey said of his second consecutive All-Star experience. “You sort of know what to expect a little bit more. But it’s always a fun weekend. Being a part of All-Star weekend, getting to be around guys — sophomores and rookies you play against — you start to build connections with guys.”

In the midst of his second season, Giddey is continuing to show growth and promise as a potential future All-Star. After becoming the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double during his rookie season — he did so at 19 years old — Giddey is continuing to show his all-around form along with an improved shooting touch.

After converting on just 26.3% of his 3-point field goal attempts during the 2021-22 season, Giddey’s efficiency has improved to 31.6% this season. Furthermore, his field goal percentage has skyrocketed from 41.9% to 48.9%.

Despite his improved shooting touch, Giddey stresses that this is the aspect of his game that he’s most determined on improving upon.

“That was a big area that I wanted to focus on this offseason,” Giddey said in reference to shooting the ball. “It was definitely kind of a deficiency for me my rookie year. We’ve definitely made strides in that area, but I’m 20 years old, so there’s obviously room for growth. There’s so many things that I need to get better at and that’s what the offseason is for.”

While Giddey is adamant that he wants to improve his shooting, the playmaking skills can’t be denied. Earlier this season, Giddey became one of just four players in NBA history — Grant Hill, Luka Doncic and Ben Simmons are the others — to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 500 assists within his first 100 career games.

A player who showed similar playmaking skills from the beginning of his career, LeBron James, was very complimentary of Giddey prior to appearing in his 19th All-Star game.

“Josh Giddey’s really, really good, man,” James said. “Obviously, a tall point guard. He’s a triple-double type of playmaker every single night because of his ability to rebound at his size, his instinctive passing, and he has the ability to score in the paint. I think he’s going to continue to get better and better.”

Giddey witnessed James breaking the all-time points scored record on Feb. 7 when the Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 133-130.

“It was a historic night for the NBA,” said Giddey. “We knew coming in, he was probably going to break it that night. There was more media than I’ve ever seen at a game. There were cameras all over the floor, celebrities everywhere. Obviously a different environment that we played in that night. And we got the win, but it was great to be on the floor when history was made.”

Although James and Giddey are different players in terms of athleticism and scoring prowess, they’re very similar in regards to their playmaking skills.

“LeBron was definitely one of them,” Giddey said in reference to James as a player he idolized. “A guy that loves to get teammates involved. The way he makes everyone around him better is what makes him such a special player. And I always loved watching him growing up. He was always my favorite player. Obviously any time you get to step on the floor against a guy you watched as a kid, is a surreal feeling.”

Outside of his growing skills on the court, the second-year guard is making an impact off of the court as one of JBL’s newest ambassadors.

While helping showcase the brand’s new Endurance Peak 3 earbuds — the earbuds are known for its waterproof ability — Giddey spoke of why he was eager to join the JBL brand.

“It was something I was very excited about because growing up I had a bunch of JBL speakers that I would always use and share with everyone in school,” said Giddey. “I was obviously very familiar with JBL and when they brought that opportunity to me, I jumped at it. To be at events like this and represent JBL, it was a special opportunity for me as someone who has used the product for so long.”

As far as long-term objectives are concerned, Giddey wants to make it clear that his ultimate goal is to win championships.

“That’s what every player wants,” Giddey said. “Obviously every player wants the individual stuff, All-Star appearances, MVP’s, all those types of things. But for me, championships are the most important thing.”