Even if the Thunder had largely lost against the Bucks, the 4/6 at 3-points of Josh Giddey during the meeting seems to have given the Australian confidence. Against the Pelicans, who like many other teams wanted to use his external clumsiness, the leader/back did not hesitate to artillery from afar.
Jonas Valanciunas left him a lot of space at the start of the match, like Larry Nance Jr. at the end of the match, and Josh Giddey took advantage of this to multiply the successes from afar, at 5/8 in the exercise.
“Every time a player sees the ball go into the circle, he starts to gain confidence and the circle gets bigger”he explains after having compiled 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, his 3-points in the fourth quarter having been decisive for the Thunder. “Then those shots become easier. »
Whether this is a temporary burst of address for Josh Giddey, or something more consistent, remains to be seen.
“A lot of it is a question of effort”, he assures in any case. “I think at the start of my career, at the start of the season, I was a little hesitant. I let the offensive aspect weigh on the defensive aspect. I had to break the habit and play each possession independently. »
Because Josh Giddey's ability to punish the impasses of opposing defenses will be one of the keys for the Thunder (50 wins – 21 losses), who are preparing to return to the playoffs with home advantage.
| Josh Giddey | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | OKAY | 54 | 32 | 41.9 | 26.3 | 70.9 | 1.8 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 12.5 |
| 2022-23 | OKAY | 76 | 31 | 48.2 | 32.5 | 73.1 | 2.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 16.6 |
| 2023-24 | OKAY | 69 | 25 | 46.1 | 33.5 | 83.1 | 1.4 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 11.6 |
| Total | 199 | 29 | 45.9 | 30.8 | 75.4 | 1.7 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 13.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
