Josh Giddey responds with historic Olympic debut after tumultuous 12 months

Josh Giddey made history last night and sent a message to Aussie fans that he’s here to stay, unlike another certain basketball star.

TOPSHOT - Australia's #03 Josh Giddey (C) challenges Spain's #21 Alex Abrines (L) and Spain's #07 Santi Aldama in the men's preliminary round group A basketball match between Australia and Spain during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France, on July 27, 2024. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

COMMENT

The Boomers started their Olympic campaign last night with a solid win against an old rival in Spain.

The win was good, not great, but Aussie Head Coach Brian Goorjian will be relieved to get their first win on the board in a game that simply had to be won. In my view, Spain are the weakest team in Australia’s pool, and a loss would have been a disaster that would have virtually put them out of the medal race on day one.

There were plenty of positives for Australia in the 12-point win. They were led by Josh Giddey, who finished the game with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. He is only the second player in history to have this stat line in an Olympic debut game, joining only the late, great Drazen Petrovic.

Most importantly, Josh Giddey looks to be enjoying his basketball once again, immersed in the Boomers and the well-documented culture that’s part and parcel of the national program. It’s no secret that Giddey has had a tough past 12 months, both on and off the court.

In the world of the NBA, a big business with huge contracts and incredible pressure, Giddey was shifted out of position to shooting guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s not a role that suits Josh; he is used to playing with the ball and using his skills to penetrate, score, and create for other shooters.

After a tumultuous NBA season under the microscope, his value was questioned, and it ultimately led to a trade to the Chicago Bulls. It’s a big positive for Giddey, who I’m sure has an extra pep in his step, knowing he is in for a big-time NBA season in the house that Michael Jordan built.

Josh Giddey looks to be enjoying his basketball once again, immersed in the Boomers and the well-documented culture that’s part and parcel of the national program.

Shane Heal is a four-time Olympic basketball star for the Boomers.

You can’t help but feel Giddey’s passion and excitement when representing Australia. The Olympics are for players who want to sacrifice their off-seasons, something Ben Simmons has received public backlash for not putting his hand up.

It’s about passion and pride to put that Boomers uniform on, and Giddey looks like the perfect performer and leader moving forward. He is world-class and back on track.

Last night, Giddey showed exactly why this is his team moving forward and one I expect him to lead for many more Olympics to come. He plays with a maturity beyond his years and balances aggressive play to score and create for teammates. His game is unique, as very rarely do we see a 6’8” point guard who can penetrate at will against the world’s best defenders, making it look effortless in the process.

I thought that Jock Landale was the team’s most important player, scoring 20 points and 9 rebounds.

The Boomers were up 30 points while he was on the court. Patty Mills hit some big shots when needed and finished with 19 points, while Dyson Daniels is clearly the team’s best defender and also knocked down 3 threes from only 4 attempts.

Giddey finished the game with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Jack McVeigh has become so popular and likeable for the Australian public after his significant rise to Championship player, Olympian, and now two-way NBA player after his recent signing with the Houston Rockets. His energy is contagious, and his injection off the bench paid dividends for the Boomers with his 13 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes of play. It was a well-rounded offensive performance from the Aussies.

One of the concerns for me coming into this Olympics was our ability to continually shoot the ball well from the three-point line. In this game, the Boomers made 12/24 3s at a very healthy 50 per cent. This will be a stat to watch as the games get harder. The other impressive stat was the 25 assists on 34 field goal attempts, showing the unselfishness of this Boomers outfit.

The negatives were the 16 turnovers and the number of open three-point shots they gave Spain. This level of turnovers can be expected with the limited preparation playing together, and they will definitely want to clean this up moving forward. The Boomers’ defence is aggressive and tough, and they will need to manage their pick-and-roll coverages to ensure they aren’t punished in rotations. This will certainly be put to the test against their next opponent, Canada.

I think Canada is the second-best team at the Olympics, and they have world-class NBA talent. Ten of their players play in the NBA, and they aren’t just role players! They are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 30 points and 6 assists for the Oklahoma City Thunder this past NBA season. He also brings international experience after leading the Canadians to a Bronze medal at last year’s FIBA World Cup. He scored 21 points in their opening 7-point win against Greece overnight. He was helped by fellow NBA stars Jamal Murray and RJ Barrett, who scored 23 points himself. This Canadian team has legitimate depth, size, and scoring from all over the court.

Giddey showed exactly why this is his team moving forward and one I expect him to lead for many more Olympics to come.

This game against Canada on Tuesday will be intriguing to see exactly where these Boomers are at. It’s a game if Australia wins could potentially lead to finishing on top of the pool. A loss will make the last pool game against Greece a must-win game to move forward to the next stage. The stakes are huge, and the challenges are real when playing at the Olympic level. Improvement from last night will be needed to beat Canada. But Australia will have gained confidence from their first win, and we know our guys will be excited and motivated playing against some of the world’s best.

Shane Heal is a four-time Olympic basketball star for the Boomers, including captaining the 2004 Athens Olympic team. He is writing exclusively for news.com.au during the Paris Olympics.