Thunder guard Josh Giddey joins Derrick Rose in elite company with epic night vs. Pelicans
Giddey #Giddey
It just keeps on getting better for the nascent Oklahoma City Thunder. With their backs against the wall in a win or go home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that made the playoffs last season via the play-in, the young Thunder squad managed to squeak out a 123-118 victory, thanks in large part to an incredible night from sophomore guard Josh Giddey.
Giddey, in particular, took advantage of the Pelicans’ focus on shutting down his backcourt mate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 20-year old guard ended up having his way with the likes of Trey Murphy and CJ McCollum. Giddey dropped 31 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists, leading the way for the Thunder as Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in the first half.
As a result of Josh Giddey’s incredible play-in tournament performance, he became just the second player in postseason history to tally a 30-point, 10-assist game as a 20-year old, joining rookie Derrick Rose in elite company, per StatMuse. That’s not too shabby for someone the Thunder selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
The entirety of what makes Giddey such an exciting young prospect was in full display on Wednesday night. At 6’8, he simply is too big and too strong for most guards to stop from getting to his spots. While the Thunder guard’s shooting from beyond the arc leaves something to be desired, he made three of his seven attempts from deep against the Pelicans, something that will be crucial for his development as an All-Star level talent.
Some will bring up the fact that play-in tournament stats don’t count. The play-in isn’t the playoffs after all. But the play-in tournament happens after the regular season, making it a postseason affair all the same.
Derrick Rose’s performance back in 2009 for the Chicago Bulls was simply phenomenal. Facing the 2-seeded Boston Celtics, Rose led the way for them with a 36-point, 11-dime performance in an OT victory in Game 1 of that series.
Knowing how there wasn’t too much of an emphasis on pace and space back then makes Rose’s performance the stuff of legends, especially when he would go on to win the MVP two years later.
Josh Giddey may not reach the peak Derrick Rose had, but with this epic performance, he showed that the Thunder are more than just the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander show.
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