NBA news: How Josh Giddey’s stunning start has seen him rocket past some of Australia’s best exports

His former GM has compared him to Magic Johnson and Josh Giddey’s remarkable NBA start has him ahead of some Australia’s best ever. See the incredible numbers.

Josh Giddey is on the path towards Australian basketball royalty with his first five NBA games proving the Melbourne-born rookie has what it takes to become a star in the United States.

Giddey’s hot opening to his maiden NBA season with Oklahoma City is statistically the second-best start to a campaign by an Aussie in history and is on par with last year’s NBA rookie of the year LaMelo Ball.

The 19-year-old Giddey has stuffed the stat sheet to come in ahead of Andrew Bogut, Luc Longley, Patty Mills, Dante Exum, Matthew Dellavedova, and Joe Ingles.

Giddey only sits behind Australia’s No.1 draft pick – Ben Simmons – in the statistical space after five games.

He also has more points and assists than NBA championship-winner Bogut did at the same time as a No.1 pick with Milwaukee.

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Josh Giddey has excelled in the NBA with some standout performances. Photo: Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images.

Amazingly, given he is a point guard, the former NBL Rookie of the Year has recorded more rebounds than legendary centre Longley did over his first five games.

Boomers coach Brian Goorjian says Giddey’s impressive start to his NBA career has exceeded his expectations.

Goorjian remembers Giddey going through a process of “finding himself” when he first joined the Australian Boomers camp in California prior to this year’s Tokyo Olympics.

“But his start to his NBA career he hasn’t gone through a process,” Goorjian enthused.

“He has just stepped right in to say, ‘I belong, and I’ll show you’.

“I’m really excited for him and impressed.

“To go into the NBA fearless and look comfortable and confident.

“There are characteristics and personality in the way he is approaching it that you don’t actually see until you are in it.

“That side of his move into the NBA is much stronger than I anticipated because when he was with the Boomers initially, he was finding himself and was a little bit uncomfortable.

“But then when we went to camp in Vegas, I thought he was like he has been in the NBA.

“Like, wow’ - he was starting to get comfortable.”

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Giddey’s hot opening to his maiden NBA season is statistically the second-best start to a campaign by an Aussie in history. Picture: Zach Beeker/NBAE

Giddey is also statistically ahead of fellow NBL Next Star LaMelo Ball who made such a stunning transition from the Aussie NBL to the NBA last season.

Through the first five games, he has more rebounds and assists than Ball and only trails the Charlotte Hornets star, and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, by two in total points.

Giddey’s record rise in the world’s best league doesn’t shock Adelaide 36ers general manager of basketball Jeff Van Groningen, even though he has been “blown away” by the young Aussie’s scintillating start.

Van Groningen, who helped recruit Giddey to the 36ers before he went on to excel in the NBL, believes the rising Boomer is showing signs of greats like Magic Johnson, Luka Doncic and Bogut when it comes to rookies proving they belong on the NBA stage.

“The level of maturity with Josh’s execution, the way he has immediately fitted into an NBA team, he just looks comfortable,” said Van Groningen, who still keeps in regular contact with Giddey.

“He doesn’t look like a kid who we hope will be good in a year or two. Josh just looks like he belongs from the onset and that is quite incredible.

“Doncic looked that way as a rookie, Magic Johnson looked that way, Bogut looked that way.

“There are guys where you say, ‘well, he just belongs and that is Josh.

“He is immediately in the right league and there is no equivocation about that. He belongs in the NBA, and it is wonderful to watch.”

Van Groningen believes Giddey is gifted with an on-court vision, like some of the great playmakers in the NRL, AFL, NFL or any of professional league who have an innate ability to see the game in slow-motion and then produce the perfect play.

“The other day he threw that left-handed fling pass across the entire width of the floor,” he said.

“That has become a trademark pass, but if I saw that same pass at 36ers training I would think – ‘that is a bit wild’.

“But for Josh that is actually a pass that he can hit his player on third index finger on the fingernail if that is where he is aiming.

“He is very gifted at getting the ball over quite substantial distances with some real zip and finding the target.

“I also noticed Josh had four steals the other day. And it wasn’t like anybody was writing about his defence last year in the NBL.

“Whatever is required, the great playmakers just understand.”

Van Groningen, who grew up in California, was a massive Lakers and can see similarities between Los Angeles legend Magic Johnson and Giddey as a passing guard with size.

Giddey starred in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers last season, winning the NBL’s Rookie of the Year. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

“The thing that struck everybody about Magic was that he was a huge guard,” he said.

“But the way Magic saw the floor was just transcendent – he just sees everybody that is out there.

“Now Magic was blessed with amazing tools around him, but I honestly think that if Josh Giddey had those tools around him, they (OKC) wouldn’t have lost.

“Because he finds the right guy at the right time. It’s a flat-out gift and it is transcendent among all sports when you see these rare people that see everything.”

Groningen says Giddey’s greatest challenge will be coming to terms with the fact that Oklahoma City are rebuilding and aren’t expected to win many games.

“Anyone that knows Josh knows that he is about the team doing well, so he will be stewing in his own juices in an appropriate way after losses and he will be stung by losses.

“But that mindset is what makes a good competitor great, and Josh is certainly in that category.”