Giannis, Joel Embiid gave Josh Giddey a rude NBA welcome
Josh Giddey wasn’t always destined for NBA stardom — but he made sure to convert anyone who didn’t believe along the way.
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Josh Giddey’s initial hey-kid-you’re-in-the-big-time-now memo arrived on his 19th birthday, delivered by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo during a pre-season game in which the NBA champions hosted Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Giannis put his shoulder right through my chest and then dunked the ball,’’ Giddey says. “That was kind of my ‘welcome to the NBA’ moment.’’
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Another followed late in round three, courtesy of Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid, who took out the Australian guard with a tough, physical block as Giddey attempted his own dunk off a fast break.
What drew the ire of the OKC home crowd and an apologetic handshake from the imposing Embiid was less interesting than what happened next: the No.6 draft pick not only dusted himself off to make both free throws en route to 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds, he then stripped Embiid of possession with his fourth steal and iced that next play with a calm three.
No hard feelings, Giddey says of the Embiid statement, but nor are any more welcomes necessary, for this is a kid who has already arrived. A product of the Melbourne Tigers, the NBA Global Academy and the finishing school that was the Adelaide 36ers via the NBL’s Next Stars program, Giddey has barged through the front door of the world’s premier competition in the first quarter of his rookie year.
In round five he became the second-youngest player behind LeBron James to record 10 assists in a game, while only LeBron and LaMelo Ball have also logged 100 assists and 100 rebounds in their first 20 NBA appearances. A first triple-double is imminent, it seems.
“It’ll come.” says Giddey, aware of the youngest-ever record that may fall if it does.
As to whether there was a more personal moment, the one where he knew he truly belonged: “Yes and no. As soon as you walk into the facility it’s surreal, it’s a dream come true, kinda thing. But when you step on the floor with guys you’ve watched your whole life, like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, those kinda stars, that’s when it hits you the most that you’re actually playing in the NBA.’’
And in the starting five, as just the third Australian to debut there. The caveat is that Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is rebuilding with a young roster, and Giddey knew he would have opportunities not necessarily available elsewhere. Still, from an average of almost 30 minutes per game, his assist rate of 5.8 is first among rookies, and his 7.2 rebounds in the top three – enough to earn him Western Conference rookie-of-the-month honours for November.
The teenager knows he still can – and needs to – improve his shooting, although the floater that is proving particularly effective is also acknowledged as essential to clear the shot-blockers hovering at the rim.
And while the three-point range is more of a work-in-progress, Giddey volunteers that he made only about five per cent of his early attempts for the 36ers, and what was a 2/22 success rate didn’t bother him then.
“Misses and makes, they don’t affect me any more,” he says. “I shoot the same shot, and every time I shoot it, I think it’s goin’ in, so percentages never bother me and it won’t drop my confidence or anything like that. So I’m not too worried.’’
Nor was he perturbed by those who questioned why this Aussie lad, not authenticated by the College system and far from the most athletic prospect available, went so high. Giddey was certainly aware – “I mean, very” aware – of what was being said as he suited up on draft night in New York, complete with natty bow tie.
“International prospects don’t obviously get as much attention from the media and the public as guys do in America, which is fair enough,’’ he says. “As soon as Oklahoma took me at six, I knew there was gonna be a lot of outside people sort of questioning the pick, and why they took me, and rightly so.
“They probably hadn’t seen a lot of me prior to the draft, but I saw it all on Twitter, Instagram, whatever it was, people wondering why they picked me, but I was never worried about that. I knew what I could bring to the table. … I didn’t think it was pressure, but it was definitely outside noise which I tried not to let impact me too much.’’
What, then, has the NBA’s second youngest player shown in this first stretch in the No.3 jersey that the less-initiated might not have known was coming?
“Probably my play-making. How I pass the ball and make plays for others,’’ says Giddey. “That’s kind of been my biggest strength throughout my basketball career, but I think just people being able to see it on a world stage in the NBA … that’s been the biggest surprise to most.’’
Junior Josh
“Always cocky!” Is how Warrick Giddey jovially describes the second of his four children, and only son, for the energetic kid was good at most sports. No shock there, given that dad played 449 NBL games and mum Kim (nee McRae) had a 58-game WNBL career for the Tigers from 1989-92.
The hand-eye coordination that came naturally was also honed by a mix of backyard and professional coaching, meaning the fundamentals were in place early, even if the physical development came relatively late.
“So we were able to develop little-man skills with him, and then when he grew big he still had those little-man skills,” says Warrick. “He was never quick … all my kids are clodhoppers, as I like to say, but as they get older they get a lot more mobile as they grow into their bodies. We always thought he had the IQ.’’
His Tigers’ 12-under coach, a family friend by the name of Andrew Gaze, also liked what he saw from a young age in a boy he now believes can become the next Luka Doncic.
Gaze, the five-time Olympian, says he can’t remember a time when Woz’s super-competitive little lad wasn’t around, with a ball in hand, and even though he was overlooked for multiple state junior teams, what was always “off the charts” were those innate basketball smarts.
“He was a cheeky little kid running around and hanging out with the big boys and never intimidated and loved the game. Loved the game,’’ says Gaze. “And I think that is just a gift in the DNA. That passion is one of the major reasons why he’s been able to have success: because he’s a student of the game, he got exposed to it at a very very early age, and he just gets incredible joy out of playing.’’
Warrick was often told by the parents of Josh’s school and domestic teammates that his son was destined for the NBA. “They were the uneducated that just saw a kid better than everyone else and thought he was going to play in the best league in the world – but they were right!’’
It was only when Josh was around 16 or 17 that his dad started to agree. When, along with the extra centimetres, he noted the improvement accelerating.
The NBA? OK, yes, maybe.
Lindsay Gaze, though, was less convinced by the junior he described as “a clone of his dad – except he can shoot’’, and Gaze senior only had his this-kid-can-play moment when he completely dominated the national 18/U championships.
Having coached defensive scrapper Warrick for the majority of an NBL career that did not contain a single three-pointer, the elder statesman of Aussie hoops says he sees “Wozza’s’’ passing ability and creativity now coming out through his son.
Recruitment to the NBA’s Global Academy in Canberra was a turning point, for the daily immersion it provided among elite talents of his own age, while also being a ticket to more competition and exposure internationally.
But where to go next?
Although US College suitors were almost tripping over their mortar boards to sign him, the Giddeys decided Josh would stay local(ish), move to Adelaide, and play against men.
The 36ers’ pledge to provide him with significant minutes came with no great pressure to win, and was thus fertile ground for learning. “They came very good on their promise and we’re forever indebted to Adelaide for doing that, because it’s not an easy thing for a coach to do to be playing a kid when maybe there’s better players he could play to achieve a better outcome in the game, so to do that was above and beyond the call of duty,’’ says Warrick.
Josh averaged 10.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists (the latter a league best), as the budding rookie-of-the-year became the youngest Aussie to score a triple-double and was the first to repeat it in consecutive games.
The NBA scouts noticed. The draft beckoned. So, at least as a possibility, did the Olympics, before head coach Brian Goorjian opted for Josh Green – not Nathan Sobey, as widely reported, for the veteran mentor insists the latter was “always in”.
Yet, just like missing out on the Victorian under 16s a few years prior – before the full benefit of his growth spurt combined with hard work and that natural talent and vision made him an irresistible force for Vic Metro in the 18s age group – Giddey preferred to view as a silver lining what for the Boomers was an historic bronze.
“Obviously missing a lot of state teams when you’re 14, 15, 16, it’s hard at the time, you’re gutted. I’m not saying that I deserved to be in those teams, but it does help, getting cut. It gives you motivation and adds fuel to the fire,’’ he says, noting the difference, yet similarities with the Olympics.
“It’s the same kind of principles: you can kinda sook about it and blame people, or you can use it as motivation and that’s the way I took it. It was tough to miss out and going to the Olympics has obviously been a dream of mine for a long time, but to be around those guys (prior) and to be able to learn from the veterans that we had in that group was fun, and hopefully in the near future I can be a part of that senior team.’’
Boom time
Giddey’s pre-Tokyo Boomers involvement was not without its benefits, though. Two practice sessions were thrown open to NBA scouts whose travel had been restricted by Covid-19; in person, they saw five-on-five scrimmages as well as a taller and stronger body than it appears on TV.
Goorjian recalls about 50 NBA officials lined up against the back wall of the gym, scribbling notes after some of Giddey’s extraordinary passing. That ability and more was then showcased against Nigeria, the athletic and defensively strong group fresh from an upset of Team USA.
But it was the freshman Giddey so many had come to see.
So exceptional was the 18-year-old’s performance that Goorjian believes it helped with an elevation up the draft order from what was being talked of as the 15-20 range to its eventual slot at No.6.
“The skills were apparent: he found guys, he got out on the break – and their physicality, their speed, their switching, their aggressiveness, that didn’t bother him at all,” Goorjian says. “And I was worried for him. I thought, ‘F--k, this is really important,’ and when the game finished he had 14 points, we won big and he really ran the team, so I thought, ‘God this is a perfect storm’.’’
Immersion in a culture led by Patty Mills and long-time mentor Joe Ingles was another benefit, while Goorjian respected the way Giddey handled the news he would be an emergency, not an Olympic debutant. If character was not an issue, nor was the youngster’s ability to make teammates better.
“Obviously he’s right-handed and he’s got that gift, but his ability to use his left hand and throw pinpoint passes and see people before they get there or know where they’re gonna go or where they’re gonna be, it’s a rare gift, and it’s different,’’ says Goorjian.
“When you think of all the great players that Australia’s produced – I think back to Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Luc Longley, Andrew Vlahov, that group. Now Ingles, Mills, (Aron) Baynes. And what Josh is good at or who he is, it’s completely different.
“It’s like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. It’s the passing. He’s not an overly great athlete, he’s not a great shooter, he’s not a big man, and those are usually what equalled playing at the NBA level. He’s unique. He makes people better. He finds people. He’s got a great left hand, he’s big for his position, and he’s got a sixth sense. He’s just a baller.’’
Goorjian also points to the solid family background he expects will mitigate the “life-changing” riches that come with his status as one of the game’s rising stars.
“This thing ain’t gonna mess with him,’’ says Goorjian. “It’s like Joe. Twelve years ago I’m with him at the (South) Dragons; (today) he’s still wearing Converse tennis shoes, blue jeans and a white T-shirt, and he’s still got the sense of humour and no arrogance to him at all and I just think this kid’s the same.
“Everybody in the group enjoyed and liked him, and he wants to learn, he listens. There’s so many positives about him.’’
The Draft
Giddey had done just two workouts with potential suitors in the lead-up; a savvy strategy from agent Daniel Moldovan applauded by dad Warrick. “Athletically, Josh really wasn’t gonna show them too much, and he’s not a knockdown, ding ding ding ding type shooter, so there was nothing to impress them,’’ he says.
“He wasn’t gonna win a sprint race over 20 yards or rank up there in his mobility test, so there was no reason to take him to any of those, which I thought was a masterstroke, and they just put him really in front of the team bosses, the coaches and owners, (did) interviews, and he only did really two workouts: one with Golden State and one with Oklahoma City.’’
Giddey reported that he couldn’t believe how well he shot the ball for the Warriors, then promptly shot even better for the Thunder. After a psychological test with the latter he was given a pile of OKC gear but no guarantee of their intentions. Meanwhile, the Warriors (pick 7), Sacramento (9) and Memphis (10) all promised to swoop if they could.
So to the draft. July 29, in New York City.
“One of the best nights of my life,’’ he has called it.
New outfits for everyone. Parents. His three sisters. Josh’s shout.
“Yeah, it’s great when you’ve got a superstar son!’’ laughs Woz. “I couldn’t wear the 15-20-year-old suit I had. And the girls are always ringing him up asking for things. So he’s extremely generous with the kids, buying them new shoes and this and that and dear old pops even jumps into the equation occasionally.’’
Pick six it was. Destination next: Oklahoma City (population around 655,000), where all six Giddeys travelled for the settling-in period, and where Josh now shares a house with manager Olgun Uluc.
Yet the closest the extended Giddey clan has come to watching a game is from back home in Yarraville, in Melbourne’s inner west, which was the vantage point for a solid first pre-season game against the Charlotte Hornets that eased the pressure on both the player and organisation, given all those draft doubters and an early ankle sprain in the Summer League.
“Looking from the outside, if I was a fan and didn’t know Josh, I’d be like, ‘What? We’ve taken this 6’8’’ honky boy ahead of all these guys who are amazing athletes and do this and do that?’,’’ says Giddey senior. “I think it’s more about his IQ. That’s what you cannot really showcase. You see his passes and everything in his highlight films.’’
Could Wozza put his 18 or 19-year-old self in his son’s sneakers and imagine how he would have handled things? He lacked the talent, but could have perfected the swagger, chuckles Giddey senior, who suspects he, too, would have loved every minute.
Certainly, there is no shortage of attention, as overwhelming as that can be. “Someone at his height and size and with his big boofhead he’s easily recognisable,’’ says Warrick, while confident his son will continue to handle it all in a polite and respectful way given that, not so long ago, he was one of those selfie-seeking kids himself.
The Giddeys are due back in Oklahoma this month for an extended Christmas stay, with eldest daughter Hannah based in nearby Tulsa on a basketball scholarship at Oral Roberts University. By then, the utterly unpretentious Warrick Giddey may have got his head around a contract that involves mind-boggling numbers, for the man who never shot a three himself is a fan of humility and good sense, not flashy Ferraris.
“But Josh will be able to keep up his passion, which is his shoe collection,’’ says dad. “That’s probably his addiction. We’re keeping him away from all the bad addictions, and if buying shoes is the worst thing he does, then we can handle that, I reckon.’’
NBA life
The biggest surprise to Giddey so far is what happens off the court. Or, more particularly, what doesn’t, for the amount of free time outside practice and games is much greater and the 24/7 nature of it all far less intense than he’d imagined.
The game itself was more what he had expected; Giddey crediting his 36ers season with aiding the transition. “It was a good stepping stone for me, because the NBL’s one of the most physical and one of the most respected and best leagues around the world, so I kind of had a year under my belt already.’’
The abundant free time is spent on his PlayStation, watching Netflix, shopping. Not just for footwear, but clothes, too. A financial advisor and other wise heads reign in the spending if needed, Giddey insists, but a salary of $8.43 million in season one, as well as an endorsement deal with Nike, makes for an increasingly crowded wardrobe.
He is warming to American life more than on previous visits, and Oklahoma City’s size makes it a comfortable fit. “If I was in Los Angeles or New York or one of those bigger cities, there’s a lot of distractions, so the good thing about Oklahoma is the sole focus is on basketball. I’m loving America, but also really excited to get back home in the off-season.’’
His family keep him updated on the immense level of interest and support in Australia, and although Giddey says he intends to “stay up late every night watching games” in an NBL season that opened on Friday, he is yet to see his big-screen debut alongside Jock Landale, Ryan Broekhoff et al in the league’s new documentary, Expect the Unexpected: Inside NBL21.
Inside the NBA is an even better place to be, and asked about the best bit, living his hoops dream gets top billing, with the accompanying honesty that, “I’d be lying if I said the money wasn’t one of the great parts about it!’’
Known simply as “Giddey” at OKC, the external “Wizard of Oz” nickname is one he is happy to run with, having arrived via the yellow brick road to a program more focused on development than winning championships, while learning about how better to play off the ball in a backcourt combination with the $241-million-dollar man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, four years his senior.
Matthew Dellavedova, the Cleveland Cavaliers championship player and long-time Boomer now with Melbourne United, predicts a “great NBA career” as Giddey utilises the extra space on the floor and the three-second rule that opens up the key for the elite playmakers looking in.
Especially one who, unusually for a guard, stands a lofty 203cm. And who, in Gilgeous-Alexander’s words, “sees everything, and everything is on target“.
Giddey’s well-shod feet remain grounded, though, and his perspective clear. “There’s games where I suck and there’s games where I’m great, so just not getting too high and too low has been a big part of the early parts of the season,’‘ he says. Giddey missed both Thursday’s loss to the Houston Rockets and Friday’s 73 point destruction by Memphis due to illness, as OKC’s season record slipped to 6-16.
“The bar’s set high for a lot of rookies. When you’re a lottery pick, it probably adds pressure as well, and obviously being a foreigner with the lack of attention I had going into the draft probably adds a little bit extra.
“So I think the bar was set pretty high for me, but I’m trying to meet it and I’m trying to do what I can to help my team and my teammates be successful as well.’’
So far, the experience has been everything he had hoped for, as Australia’s youngest-ever NBA player embraces all that comes with arriving where Giddey has forever wanted to be.
Final fun fact: an AFL career held some appeal as a fallback position for a Hawthorn supporter who concedes that life as a pro basketballer was, nevertheless, always his Plan A, B and C.
Dream meet reality.
Welcome to the NBA, indeed.
Originally published as Giannis, Joel Embiid gave Josh Giddey a rude NBA welcome
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