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If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know who Josh Giddey was when he first suited up for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
I didn’t even know he was drafted in the top 10.
So, I never really paid any attention to him… until recently.
On Jan. 2, 2022, Giddey and the Thunder faced off against the Dallas Mavericks and he became the youngest player in NBA history to post a triple-double.
This record was previously held by the Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball.
The Mavs ended up winning the game, but Giddey posted some nice numbers that, honestly, kept his team in the game.
By the fourth quarter’s end, he had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists. He also had 4 steals to further sweeten the pot.
His performance was exceptional (as you can see in the highlights mixtape above). He sank step-back threes, dimed his teammates up with some flashy passes… and also fought for rebounds.
But as cool as the trip-dub was, the record he broke a game prior was more awesome (in my opinion anyway).
In this game -a game against the New Orleans Pelicans- Giddey failed to score a single point.
Yeah, you read that right. He got a double-double without points.
He recorded 10 rebounds and 10 assists (but missed all of his 8 shot attempts), making him the youngest player in 50 years to accomplish this feat.
That’s insane!
And what makes it even better is that his team won the game.
Giddey is such a weird player. He possesses so many skills that he can actually do whatever the team needs him to do (unlike some players who say that, but can really only score).
If you need him to just run plays, he can. If you need him to make 3s, he can. And if you want him to do a bit of everything, he can as well.
He is so unique with his playstyle! He has such a complete skillset.
And because of this, I’m starting to become a fan of his now (I’m even gonna try to trade for him in 2k as soon as I finish writing this newsletter).
Final Thoughts
The OKC Thunder have so many talented young players, but the team isn’t winning many games.
Thus, their success this season is hard to predict.
However, if Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stick together and develop a tight bond, this team is going to make some noise in the near future.
That’s not a guarantee, but it is a call for you to keep an eye on them (or two if that reduces eye strain).