Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey is in the midst of his worst statistical season in the NBA. He is posting career lows in assists, minutes, points, and rebounds per game. Josh Giddey averages 11.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game.
Giddey’s struggles have led local media to whether his struggles are due to defensive game planning. The media has created the narrative that opponents are sagging off Giddey as 31 % of his shots have been wide open, averaging 3.2 per game.
Three-pointers have accounted for 84.3% of his wide-open shots, averaging 2.7 per game. Josh’s wide-open shots have increased by 11% compared to last season. Unfortunately, Josh has made 40.4% of his wide-open shots.
Giddey’s inefficiency led beat writers to ask head coach Mark Daigneault about how opponents defend Josh this season. Mark Daigneault stated he wants Josh to keep taking those shots as Giddey needs to diversify his offensive attacks.
“If he gets played like that, he’s gonna get five wide-open shots. … Regardless of how else he plays. Getting them in the corner is a good thing for any player,” Daigneault said. “Whether it’s a higher-percentage shot, which it is for most guys. I think having a diversity of attacks is important so that you’re not relying solely on one thing and the opponent is only having to account for one thing.
Josh Giddey’s best attributes
Although the media’s belief is accurate, there is more to the story. Before the 2021 NBA draft, Josh Giddey had the reputation of a player who excelled in the ball handler role. According to Synergy, Giddey’s best attributes coming into the draft were his passing ability and rim finishing.
Manipulating defenders playing with pace, Giddey is far more crafty than he is explosive getting to spots off the dribble. With almost half of his attempts coming around the rim, he averaged 1.32 points per finishing opportunity inside [74th percentile] and 0.75 points per floater [45th percentile] as he did a solid job picking and choosing his spots inside, possesses soft touch with both hands, and showed some ability to use his size to his advantage spinning off smaller defenders. While he did not draw many fouls attacking the rim, he was quite opportunistic in close.
He also ranked 2nd in the NBL in points created per game by passes out of the pick and roll (9.4 points per game).
Giddey’s current role in the Thunder’s offense
Unfortunately, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reduced Giddey’s ball-handling duties this season. Josh is 4th on the team in touches averaging 54.3 per game, a 29.2% decrease from last season. When Josh has the ball, he holds it for 2.88 seconds, a 17% decline compared to the 2022-23 season.
Josh’s current role has lessened his importance in the Oklahoma City Thunder offense. The most frequent offensive play type in the Thunder’s system has been transition and pick and roll. Oklahoma City has been in transition 19.7% of the time, averaging 22.2 possessions per game since the 2022-23 season.
Giddey has participated in 12.8 % of the Thunder’s transition possessions this season, averaging 2.9 per game. His transition possessions have declined by 21.6% compared to last season, as he averaged 3.7 per game.
Josh has seen an even more significant drop-off with his involvement in the pick-and-roll play type. The Thunder have run a pick-and-roll during 18% of their offensive possessions, averaging 20.2 per game, Giddey has been directly involved in 12.4% of the team’s possessions, averaging 2.4 per game. Josh’s pick-and-roll possessions have declined by 125%, as he averaged 5.4 per game last season.
Oklahoma City’s decision to lessen Giddey’s involvement in the offense has resulted in him being a floor spacer on a significant portion of offensive possessions. For example, Giddey stood in the right corner midway through the first quarter of a road game vs the Dallas Mavericks.
He stayed there as Jalen Williams began a pick-and-roll possession with Chet Holgrem. As soon as Williams went over the screen, he was double-teamed by Derrick Jones Jr and Kyrie Irving, forcing him to pass the ball to Giddey, who was open in the corner.
Josh made a corner three to end the possession. Although he made the shot, history says the Mavericks made the right decision in leaving him open. Josh Giddey has been a below-average three-point shooter throughout his professional career.
Giddey shot 29.3% in the Australian National Basketball League on 3.5 attempts per game during the 2021 season. His shooting has slightly improved in the NBA, as he has a career percentage of 30.3% on 3.3 attempts per game.
Oklahoma City’s deployment of Josh Giddey has decreased his opportunities to pass the ball and finish at the rim. Josh is currently making 40.2 passes, generating 11.5 points per game.
Giddey’s passes statistics are down 29.3%, as he averaged 56.9 passes and generated 15.9 points per game. Josh is also taking fewer shots in the restricted area, averaging 3.8 per game, a 30.3 decrease from last season.
In conclusion, Josh Giddey’s struggles are easily fixable, giving him more opportunities as a ball handler.
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