NBA: Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze heaps praise on Josh Giddey

Josh Giddey’s meteoric rise in the NBA has stunned plenty of basketball fans, but it has only reinforced what an Aussie hoops great already knew.

Josh Giddey continued to make his case for the NBA rookie of the year award. Picture: Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images

The high praise for Josh Giddey continues to roll in as Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze admitted his surprise at the sky-high contribution rates of the Thunder rookie.

Giddey dazzled yet again for Oklahoma City in its three-point victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 14 points in the first half en route to a 19-point scoring haul, equalling his highest total in his first season.

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The rookie sensation earned the fifth double-double of his career as he finished with 10 assists and five rebounds.

Gaze maintained he wasn’t shocked that Giddey has taken to NBA life like a duck to water, but has been taken aback by just how vital a role he has played for the Thunder this season.

“I haven’t been surprised at the ease at which he’s adapted to NBA basketball because I’ve known the kid since he was a baby and I’ve seen him come through the ranks,” Gaze told SEN.

“He’s one of those players, and you see it in a variety of sports, that he adapts well to whatever level he plays at.

“Even when he was younger, playing up a grade or in older divisions or when he went with the Australian team for the first time or his first game in the NBL.

“He adapts straight away.

“But I did not think that we’d be seeing this level of contribution.

“Admittedly, he’s in a team that’s not predicted to be a playoff team and he’s getting a lot of opportunity, but he is earning this opportunity.”

Giddey proved just how vital he is to the Thunder in his blistering display on Tuesday (AEDT) against the Grizzlies

A sizzling shooting game in the first half gave Josh Giddey the perfect platform to launch yet another assault on his first NBA triple-double, but ultimately the feat remained elusive.

In the rookie’s last outing, he was just two points shy of his first triple-double and there was a similar story against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team that handed the Thunder the heaviest loss in NBA history earlier in December.

However, Giddey and fellow Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were absent from the thrashing, but their inclusion helped avenge the result as Oklahoma City won 102-99 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Giddey went into halftime with 14 points under his belt, including three shots from outside the arc.

The scoring slowed in the second half as the 19-year-old finished with 19 points, equalling his highest total in his fledgling NBA career.

It was also the 11th time in 14 games Giddey has ended with double figures and his second-straight game with 10 assists, making him the second-ever OKC rookie to achieve the feat alongside former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, who did it in 2009.

Josh Giddey once again proved his insane value to the Thunder. Picture: Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images

While Giddey’s rich vein of shooting form continued, his passing game once again proved his case as to why the Aussie will be a serious contender for the rookie of the year award.

Giddey oozed class early in the first quarter with the ball in hand as the Thunder sprung to life on a breakaway.

The Grizzlies expected Giddey to kick the ball out to Gilgeous-Alexander for an open three-pointer at the top of the arc, but he slipped a scrumptious bounce pass through the Memphis defence to an untraced Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who scored the easiest layup he’ll have all season.

So, in back-to-back wins the last 2 days @joshgiddey averaged 13.5 pts, 11.5 reb, 10.5 ast 🔥

— Chris Anstey (@ChrisAnstey13) December 21, 2021

Over his past two games, Josh Giddey has averaged:

13.5 points
10.5 assists
11.5 rebounds

He’s the second youngest player in the NBA.

— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) December 21, 2021

Oh my gosh, that pass by Josh Giddey was incredible. No look, sold as if he was going to pull it out to Shai to stop the transition instead finds JRE for a bucket at the rim. Sheesh.

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) December 21, 2021

Josh Giddey ➡️ JRE@okcthunder are off and rolling on Bally Sports Oklahoma! #ThunderUppic.twitter.com/AByDWixMSr

— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 21, 2021

The assist was one of 11 for Giddey as he earned the fifth double-double in his rookie season.

But he mustered just five rebounds in his quest for that elusive triple-double.

Somewhat surprisingly, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault felt the game wasn’t Giddey’s finest hour but made note of how that’s an indicator of good things to come.

“I didn’t think he was great tonight,” Daigneault said in a post-match press conference.

“That’s a sign he’s a pretty good player.

“For him to be able to produce like that in a game where he was good but not at the top of his game, it means he’s rounding in to form and that’s a positive sign.”

The narrow victory helps the Thunder to its second win on the bounce but it failed to move from the bottom of the Western Conference.

For the Grizzlies, the loss drops them to a 19-12 record but they are still sitting pretty in fourth spot in the same conference.

Giddey wasn’t the only Australian scoring points, as Jock Landale continues to get plenty of game time and buckets.

Landale scored eight points for the San Antonio Spurs and also collected five rebounds, the most in his NBA career as the Spurs ran out 116-92 winners over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Originally published as NBA: Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze heaps praise on Josh Giddey