Josh Giddey was born in Melbourne, Australia. Basketball runs deep in Giddey’s family, as his dad and mom were players in Australia. His dad, Warrick Giddey, was a former player in the National Basketball League (Australia’s Basketball League), winning two championships and having his number retired by his team, the Melbourne Tigers. His mom, Kim, was a player in the Women’s National League. Giddey’s sister, Hannah, currently plays in college for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.

Josh’s basketball journey blossomed after he attended the NBA Global Academy, which works with kids in several countries to develop their NBA skills. Using what he learned, Giddey averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists per game during the Under-18 Championships in Australia. A short while after, Giddey piloted that NBA Global Academy team to a tournament win in Barcelona, Spain, winning the tournament and capturing the MVP.

Giddey decided to forgo college, even after getting a scholarship from Oklahoma University, to play in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers. At this point, Josh had grown to 6’8″, which created headaches for opponents. In addition, his basketball IQ is off the charts, utilizing every millisecond of game time to gain advantages over his opponents. This new height, coupled with his IQ, was evident, averaging 10 points, seven rebounds, and a league-leading seven assists per game. Giddey won the NBL Rookie of the Year award even after leaving the league early to prepare for the NBA Draft, where he was projected as a lottery pick.

Giddey was drafted 6th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder and inserted into the lineup immediately. Giddey became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists against the Dallas Mavericks. Giddey’s size, IQ, and selflessness helped gather three more triple-doubles throughout the 2021 season. Josh finished with multiple Rookie of the Month awards and garnered a selection to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

This year, Giddey is averaging 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game and has recorded one triple-double so far (24/10/12 versus the Knicks). This year is still a rebuilding year for the Thunder, meaning their team lacks the talent to make the playoffs, so Giddey can continue working on his game. Next year, they should have Chet Holmgren back, who people view as their star of the future on the Thunder.

Josh Giddey would be a player that I would have my kid watch play basketball. As I’ve mentioned, his basketball IQ is truly a work of art, especially for a 20-year-old player. He always knows where his teammates are on the court, and that height helps Giddey see over the defense. Giddey is a gifted passer as well, with both hands. I’ve seen Giddey toss one-handed bullet passes crosscourt and over defenses or even grab the defensive rebound and heave the ball down the court. While his passing is excellent, his scoring does need some work. His jumper is more of a set shot that still needs some work (career 27.1% three-point shooter). His scoring depends on two factors – finding the smaller defender to post up or hitting floaters in the lane. You will never see Giddey in the dunk contest, as his verticality could be better. Defensively, he can stay ahead of most guards, thanks to his height and length. Overall, his defense is his best attribute as of now. He reminds me of a current-day Shaun Livingston. For those not aware, Livingston was an assassin from mid-range and also had the same height to dish out assists all over the court.

Giddey has such a high ceiling, especially at the point guard position. Giddey’s an above-average passer and defender with a lot of work to do on the scoring end. He is a big point guard with no verticality and is tall for his position. Giddey’s game reminds me of Jason Kidd. While I’m not sure if Giddey will exactly get to that peak, Kidd’s game was extremely similar to Giddey’s in the beginning. Kidd was a subpar shooter, only shooting 27.2% from three and 38.5% from the field. It wasn’t until Kidd’s 13th year that he averaged 38% from three. Kidd gathered ten All-Star appearances, nine All-Defense team selections, five assist titles, Rookie of the Year, and an NBA title in 2011 with Dallas. If Giddey did this, it would be safe to say he would be the best Australian basketball player of all time.