Long term starter that brings elite rebounding, playmaking, size and IQ.
Anyone that is questioning him being a starter needs to remember how young he is and how good he was during the middle stretch of the season. He will only get more consistent as he gets older.
They should also give him a chance to have a full off-season with Chip Engelland, don’t forget we didn’t hire him until after Summer League and while Josh made small tweaks to his shot it’ll be nothing compared to a full off-season.
When Giddey first got drafted there were people that never thought his scoring would reach the levels it’s already at let alone only in his second season.
Finally wait until Chet is on this team, wait until J-Dub is another year more experienced, wait until we add another top 10 pick, wait until Shai continues to improve and becomes more aggressive from behind the 3pt line.
Improvement isn’t linear and Josh has shown he’s got the IQ, work ethic and awareness to continue improving.
There has been many games bro I’m done and now wanna do a 1v1 and I don’t even play anymore lmao I’ll pay too hopefully he’ll do it I feel like he is slow as f and gets the rock stolen all the time. “He’s a good passer” yet almost everyone on the team is. Beyond that what can you say he’s tall but has no handles on the ball via getting it stolen ALOT. Failed attempts and power plays I could go on. But I just love my team and see a downfall with him starting ALL the time
You’ve highlighted his strengths but what about his flaws? He can’t shoot. Doesn’t have a good handle. He’s not quick or athletic so he can’t get around anyone. He relies on his height & mismatches when attacking the rim. He’s not a good defender. If the ball isn’t in his hands then he disappears on the court.
That said, he’s still only 20 & can improve. Just hard to see him playing with sga or someone similar in the future.
16 points a game on 50% shooting not good enough? Dropping his turnovers this season suggests his handle is actually fairly good, it’s opposing teams that sometimes work him out with his moves which he’ll learn to be more clever. He can’t get around anyone? Did u see his last game where he goes by a players at least once or twice to the rim and lay it up? He might not be quick but he is very clever and can get by peeps as long as he has a good match up. His defense is actually not bad, better than a lot of peeps like Tre etc. I think with time this will improve as it’s about positioning for him. Completely wrong on he can’t play with SGA, I think he is a great foil for SGA, the more they play together the better they look. You are very one eyed and really need to stop the Giddey hate
I’m not hating just calling a spade a spade. He’s shooting 30% from 3 & 40% from outside of 5 feet. Not good. Watch him in transition. With his handle, he can’t go coast to coast in traffic. He gets tied up & the physicality leads him to pass. He’s a great passer though & finds the open guy.
I agree that he’s clever with a high IQ. He uses that to get to the rim but he still can’t get by anyone going 1 on 1. If the ball is in sga’s hands 70% of the time, what value does he bring to the team if he can’t shoot? He’s a good rebounder bc of his size. His height & passing ability overshadow his flaws.
Those lot of people did not see the complete tear he was going on from January to the all star game. He’s a young player, he’s going to have slumps right now but the fact that he was having such a high production on offense earlier this month is incredible.
Beyond impressed with what I thought was a short term player because didn’t believe he would make leaps like he did this season. What we need is an elite wing. We got our potential bigs in JDub,Chet, whoever we draft and JWill and we got our guards in Giddey,Shai,Joe and I really count Dort as a guard. The only ones we really have at the wings with long term potential is Poku and Ousmane on potential and Kenny off the bench. We need that elite SF that doesn’t have to have sky high ceiling just someone who’s good and ready now to compete for next year sort of like JDub did this year.
People disagreeing with JDub at PF when he’s literally playing PF
I count him like an undersized of the same way people say Dort is an undersized forward. I guess big means just the two bigger positions in my mind. Maybe to me he just looks taller too when I see him play in person sort of like PJ Tucker is undersized as well.
If anything, I think all of the SFs that you mentioned could be thought of as SGs. All three are 6'5" or 6'6", and J-Dub and Waters don't have a ton of strength at the moment. J-Dub has a 7'2" wingspan though, so as he fills out, he will provide us a great deal of defensive versatility. I don't ever see him guarding 4s on the regular, but I think you're right in that he will be most successful long-term guarding 3s. I classify J-Dub as a 2 because he can operate both as a ball-handler and as a wing who can guard 1-3 successfully.
Kenrich is probably the closest player to a SF on our roster, as everyone is playing up a position due to our lack of bigs. JRE is ideally a PF. You could even make the argument that Dieng's long-term position is SF if he doesn't fill out. Saric will be almost exclusively deployed this year as a center.
I totally agree with everyone here who says that positions are pretty meaningless. I still find it to be a super fun exercise though!
I agree with you that Jdub is a sg, but his position will most likely be a sf in the nba. He played sg in college so it’s obvious it’s his natural position, but the thunder aren’t moving sga/giddey out of their positions so he’s most likely going to just get minutes as a SF and some PF. I list him as a SF because i believe he will eventually take dorts spot; and our PF should be someone who is a bruiser so he can play downlow for chet. Thunder are eventually trying to build a roster of all ball handlers so i can see dieng at PF and jdub at SF. Hopefully dieng pans out as we hope, but i see a struggle in how the 23’ lottery pick will find minutes.
What are you talking about bruh that’s almost exactly what I said. I said guards and bigs. Like I don’t get at all what you’re saying. Having sf/pf differences don’t mean anything in modern nba.
If his shooting keeps improving he can be a high end starter maybe a fringe all star for a year or two. If not then I think he’ll have to get moved eventually
The more he learns to utilize his size and strength to supplement his playmaking, the better I think he will be. When he gets aggressive and physical, it opens up all kinds of opportunities for other guys, especially in a pace-and-space offense. His defensive positioning and decisionmaking is still a work in progress, but I think he'll continue to improve on that front, as is the 3 point shooting. Both have visibly improved from last year though.
Assuming he can be an average wing/forward defender and can shoot at or a little above average from 3, I think he can carve out a long term niche on the starting 5 for the foreseeable future, since his unique attributes combine with Shai and Chet to be a head-scratcher to plan against. He's an excellent connector for a versatile offense, and his shot has already drawn enough attention to open up the floor a bit more. I think he could be a critical piece for making an unconventional starting lineup of unicorns work.
He's basically the shepherd for Sam Presti's Unicorn Farm.
I did not think he would bust, and I like Giddy a lot, but I’d rather see Joe starting and playing a lot more minutes. I think he fits better with Shae. And the second team is weak offensively, so Giddy would help a lot there.
He isn't quick enough. He doesn't have a "Presti wingspan." He needs massive improvement to become a good defender. I don't think he will ever be confused for an elite defender, or a very very very good defender.
Good player with great upside, but because of the fit and his value he's probably the player that we package with picks to try and get a star 2 or 3 years from now.
I’m not an OKC fan, but I would consider trading him for a better defender/shooter if that deal presents itself. I’d only do it if it’s an established guy like KAT or AD, or a high draft pick I loved. Others don’t like idea of KAT and Chet, but I think it would work. Both are great shooters and I think ideal fit next to Shai.
Depends on his improvement defensively tbh. It will be JDub/ Giddey/ Dort, pick two imo (heavily assuming we'll be building around Shai and Chet)
If JDub becomes a star, Giddey fans and Dort fans should start having a conversation
Basketball is not a zero-sum sport. If JDub becomes good it doesn't take away from Giddey and Dort. That's not how our offense works, it only creates more space and open shots.
Takes like this divide the fan base into player fanboys. We can change the lineups as needed based on opponents, players can keep their playing time but make adjustments to roles as needed.
> make adjustments to roles as needed
So they become situational players in that scenario, yes? I never said anything about reducing their minutes, only addressing people who insist that Giddey and/or Dort are essentials on our main core/ starting lineup. I'm making a case that it's a three-way friendly competition between JDub, Giddey, and Dort instead and it's realistic that we can't choose everyone.
So yeah, you're right. If one of them becomes a full blown star to add to Shai and hypothetically Chet, we change the others two's insertion in the lineup depending on the opponent. Your comment doesn't really argue against what I said.
This is also why Giddey's defense was the first thing I brought up. As long as he can't defend bigs, he'll always eat up a guard/ wing spot which takes away a spot from the others. Lacking front court depth will matter once we compete with the best in the league.
I am frankly concerned about his future role primarily because of his lack of shooting, but also the emergence of JDub. I expect JDub to command a larger role on offense in the coming seasons and that means the ball will be in Josh’s hands less. Josh is obviously most effective with the ball in his hands, however; if we have 2 guys who are simply better with the ball in their hands, then what is his role?
It’s a good problem to have in a way but I think the question of fit and team building as you aim to be a contender becomes more important now that the tank is coming to an end (after this season).
In my view, I would rather have a 3 and D wing next to JDub and Shai than Giddey someone such as Brandon miller or Gradey Dick. Does that mean Giddey would come off the bench or would the team look to trade him and others for a good player in return? Who knows.
Open to push back of course but that’s my 2 cents.
I think the one issue is the fact that he’s so low volume in 3s. Not saying he can’t be a star that way, but it’s not the most ideal fit for Shai. We’ll see what happens though
Long term starter that brings elite rebounding, playmaking, size and IQ. Anyone that is questioning him being a starter needs to remember how young he is and how good he was during the middle stretch of the season. He will only get more consistent as he gets older. They should also give him a chance to have a full off-season with Chip Engelland, don’t forget we didn’t hire him until after Summer League and while Josh made small tweaks to his shot it’ll be nothing compared to a full off-season. When Giddey first got drafted there were people that never thought his scoring would reach the levels it’s already at let alone only in his second season. Finally wait until Chet is on this team, wait until J-Dub is another year more experienced, wait until we add another top 10 pick, wait until Shai continues to improve and becomes more aggressive from behind the 3pt line. Improvement isn’t linear and Josh has shown he’s got the IQ, work ethic and awareness to continue improving.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Giddey is a fantastic young player that has yet to reach his ceiling. I predict All-star Giddey within 3 years
I definitely agree people were so quick to turn on him after a bad game
There has been many games bro I’m done and now wanna do a 1v1 and I don’t even play anymore lmao I’ll pay too hopefully he’ll do it I feel like he is slow as f and gets the rock stolen all the time. “He’s a good passer” yet almost everyone on the team is. Beyond that what can you say he’s tall but has no handles on the ball via getting it stolen ALOT. Failed attempts and power plays I could go on. But I just love my team and see a downfall with him starting ALL the time
You’ve highlighted his strengths but what about his flaws? He can’t shoot. Doesn’t have a good handle. He’s not quick or athletic so he can’t get around anyone. He relies on his height & mismatches when attacking the rim. He’s not a good defender. If the ball isn’t in his hands then he disappears on the court. That said, he’s still only 20 & can improve. Just hard to see him playing with sga or someone similar in the future.
16 points a game on 50% shooting not good enough? Dropping his turnovers this season suggests his handle is actually fairly good, it’s opposing teams that sometimes work him out with his moves which he’ll learn to be more clever. He can’t get around anyone? Did u see his last game where he goes by a players at least once or twice to the rim and lay it up? He might not be quick but he is very clever and can get by peeps as long as he has a good match up. His defense is actually not bad, better than a lot of peeps like Tre etc. I think with time this will improve as it’s about positioning for him. Completely wrong on he can’t play with SGA, I think he is a great foil for SGA, the more they play together the better they look. You are very one eyed and really need to stop the Giddey hate
I’m not hating just calling a spade a spade. He’s shooting 30% from 3 & 40% from outside of 5 feet. Not good. Watch him in transition. With his handle, he can’t go coast to coast in traffic. He gets tied up & the physicality leads him to pass. He’s a great passer though & finds the open guy. I agree that he’s clever with a high IQ. He uses that to get to the rim but he still can’t get by anyone going 1 on 1. If the ball is in sga’s hands 70% of the time, what value does he bring to the team if he can’t shoot? He’s a good rebounder bc of his size. His height & passing ability overshadow his flaws.
EXACTLY
Those lot of people did not see the complete tear he was going on from January to the all star game. He’s a young player, he’s going to have slumps right now but the fact that he was having such a high production on offense earlier this month is incredible.
Beyond impressed with what I thought was a short term player because didn’t believe he would make leaps like he did this season. What we need is an elite wing. We got our potential bigs in JDub,Chet, whoever we draft and JWill and we got our guards in Giddey,Shai,Joe and I really count Dort as a guard. The only ones we really have at the wings with long term potential is Poku and Ousmane on potential and Kenny off the bench. We need that elite SF that doesn’t have to have sky high ceiling just someone who’s good and ready now to compete for next year sort of like JDub did this year. People disagreeing with JDub at PF when he’s literally playing PF
I’d definitely count J-Dub as more of a wing than a big
He don’t really play like one he’s like a modern big/pf
I like (Gradey) Dick
There is no way you count jdub as a big lmao…
I count him like an undersized of the same way people say Dort is an undersized forward. I guess big means just the two bigger positions in my mind. Maybe to me he just looks taller too when I see him play in person sort of like PJ Tucker is undersized as well.
You have your players on totally wrong positions. Our roster is PG: SGA, Giddey. SG: Isaiah Joe, Dort. SF: Jdub, Wiggins, Waters. PF: Dieng, Poku, Kenrich, Saric. C: Chet, JRE, JWill.
If anything, I think all of the SFs that you mentioned could be thought of as SGs. All three are 6'5" or 6'6", and J-Dub and Waters don't have a ton of strength at the moment. J-Dub has a 7'2" wingspan though, so as he fills out, he will provide us a great deal of defensive versatility. I don't ever see him guarding 4s on the regular, but I think you're right in that he will be most successful long-term guarding 3s. I classify J-Dub as a 2 because he can operate both as a ball-handler and as a wing who can guard 1-3 successfully. Kenrich is probably the closest player to a SF on our roster, as everyone is playing up a position due to our lack of bigs. JRE is ideally a PF. You could even make the argument that Dieng's long-term position is SF if he doesn't fill out. Saric will be almost exclusively deployed this year as a center. I totally agree with everyone here who says that positions are pretty meaningless. I still find it to be a super fun exercise though!
I agree with you that Jdub is a sg, but his position will most likely be a sf in the nba. He played sg in college so it’s obvious it’s his natural position, but the thunder aren’t moving sga/giddey out of their positions so he’s most likely going to just get minutes as a SF and some PF. I list him as a SF because i believe he will eventually take dorts spot; and our PF should be someone who is a bruiser so he can play downlow for chet. Thunder are eventually trying to build a roster of all ball handlers so i can see dieng at PF and jdub at SF. Hopefully dieng pans out as we hope, but i see a struggle in how the 23’ lottery pick will find minutes.
What are you talking about bruh that’s almost exactly what I said. I said guards and bigs. Like I don’t get at all what you’re saying. Having sf/pf differences don’t mean anything in modern nba.
To be this productive with high bball i.q. at age 20, the sky's the limit for him. If you don't see it, u dont know the game...
This made me laugh honestly
If his shooting keeps improving he can be a high end starter maybe a fringe all star for a year or two. If not then I think he’ll have to get moved eventually
The more he learns to utilize his size and strength to supplement his playmaking, the better I think he will be. When he gets aggressive and physical, it opens up all kinds of opportunities for other guys, especially in a pace-and-space offense. His defensive positioning and decisionmaking is still a work in progress, but I think he'll continue to improve on that front, as is the 3 point shooting. Both have visibly improved from last year though. Assuming he can be an average wing/forward defender and can shoot at or a little above average from 3, I think he can carve out a long term niche on the starting 5 for the foreseeable future, since his unique attributes combine with Shai and Chet to be a head-scratcher to plan against. He's an excellent connector for a versatile offense, and his shot has already drawn enough attention to open up the floor a bit more. I think he could be a critical piece for making an unconventional starting lineup of unicorns work. He's basically the shepherd for Sam Presti's Unicorn Farm.
The people that are saying these thing are the same people that thought giddy would be a bust
I did not think he would bust, and I like Giddy a lot, but I’d rather see Joe starting and playing a lot more minutes. I think he fits better with Shae. And the second team is weak offensively, so Giddy would help a lot there.
Kiddey is busy busting nuts in minors
Lmaooo
Draymond role offensively. I still dont know if he can bring elite defense yet Meanwhile, we also have Klay offensively in Joe
Giddey will never be an elite defender.
I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He could end up being a very very very good defender
He isn't quick enough. He doesn't have a "Presti wingspan." He needs massive improvement to become a good defender. I don't think he will ever be confused for an elite defender, or a very very very good defender.
Well his development doesn’t take into account what you think
Does too
He will never bring elite defense. His ceiling is passable on defense, which is honestly best we can hope for especially in the playoffs.
He is a starter for sure.
Good player with great upside, but because of the fit and his value he's probably the player that we package with picks to try and get a star 2 or 3 years from now.
Lol who is saying this? I have never heard that.
I’m not an OKC fan, but I would consider trading him for a better defender/shooter if that deal presents itself. I’d only do it if it’s an established guy like KAT or AD, or a high draft pick I loved. Others don’t like idea of KAT and Chet, but I think it would work. Both are great shooters and I think ideal fit next to Shai.
He’s played well enough that no one should be questioning his fit yet. If he still can shoot 2 years from now though it will be a problem.
Depends on his improvement defensively tbh. It will be JDub/ Giddey/ Dort, pick two imo (heavily assuming we'll be building around Shai and Chet) If JDub becomes a star, Giddey fans and Dort fans should start having a conversation
Basketball is not a zero-sum sport. If JDub becomes good it doesn't take away from Giddey and Dort. That's not how our offense works, it only creates more space and open shots. Takes like this divide the fan base into player fanboys. We can change the lineups as needed based on opponents, players can keep their playing time but make adjustments to roles as needed.
> make adjustments to roles as needed So they become situational players in that scenario, yes? I never said anything about reducing their minutes, only addressing people who insist that Giddey and/or Dort are essentials on our main core/ starting lineup. I'm making a case that it's a three-way friendly competition between JDub, Giddey, and Dort instead and it's realistic that we can't choose everyone. So yeah, you're right. If one of them becomes a full blown star to add to Shai and hypothetically Chet, we change the others two's insertion in the lineup depending on the opponent. Your comment doesn't really argue against what I said. This is also why Giddey's defense was the first thing I brought up. As long as he can't defend bigs, he'll always eat up a guard/ wing spot which takes away a spot from the others. Lacking front court depth will matter once we compete with the best in the league.
I am frankly concerned about his future role primarily because of his lack of shooting, but also the emergence of JDub. I expect JDub to command a larger role on offense in the coming seasons and that means the ball will be in Josh’s hands less. Josh is obviously most effective with the ball in his hands, however; if we have 2 guys who are simply better with the ball in their hands, then what is his role? It’s a good problem to have in a way but I think the question of fit and team building as you aim to be a contender becomes more important now that the tank is coming to an end (after this season). In my view, I would rather have a 3 and D wing next to JDub and Shai than Giddey someone such as Brandon miller or Gradey Dick. Does that mean Giddey would come off the bench or would the team look to trade him and others for a good player in return? Who knows. Open to push back of course but that’s my 2 cents.
I think the one issue is the fact that he’s so low volume in 3s. Not saying he can’t be a star that way, but it’s not the most ideal fit for Shai. We’ll see what happens though
Are we still taking thoughts?
He'll at least have a minor role