How bullish is everyone on Josh Giddey?

[BlazersBroncos]

Its only PS, but Josh is showing a much better ability to score than Kyle. He is also shooting better than Rubio (And has a better shot IMO).

It seems lazy, but a poor mans Luka really is the best comparison, unless I am missing someone. I just cant find one better.

I expect 14/4/5 this year w/ 32-34% 3PT shooting. I think that shot improves w/ time as well. Its very workable, and while a slow release he just finds ways to get open.

I just don't see poor mans Luka at all lol.

Giddey strikes me more of a connecting player, not an offensive hub that you run every play through.

It's the direct opposite of what Luka is.

That's fair, you are weighting temperament and aggression on offense as particularly important features.

Giddey isn't there with that killer instinct. Other than that, his comparison as a poor man's Luka is sound.

Killer instinct, tighter handles and multiple additions to his offensive arsenal will have him looking like Luka. He won't ever be all that though.

You articulated much better what I was trying to say. Giddey isnt as good as Luka, never will be. But the way he moves, operates on offense to an extent, uses his feel for the game to pick his spots are very Luka'esque. He is already showing flashes that make his projection as a much better talent than a role player like Kyle Anderson.

Josh isnt going to be a role player, he will be a top-3 option and he will become one of the 4 best players from this draft. I can be sig'd on that.

And by the time their respective rookie deals are over there wont be a comparison between Giddey and Kuminga. Its not going to be close. Sig that too.

I don't understand Presti's fascination on him to take him at #6, I would take him just outside lottery.

Someone compared him to Kyle Anderson, but even Giddey is much faster and quicker than the tortoise. I'd compare him to a young Danilo Gallinari, when he was still a Knick. But even Danilo back then, not exactly known for his athleticism, could still be considered superior in athleticism than Giddey is now imo, which is saying something.

Pre injury Gallo, or even post, is a top 5-8 pick in nearly every draft in NBA history. Saying a Gallo like talent is worth a non-lotto pick is pretty rich, that implies that 14 players in most drafts are better prospects than Danilo, which is just not true in basically every draft ever. Most classes come away with 4-6 players of Gallo's impact. We all expect the lotto to be 14 HOF guys, thats not at all how it goes.

[slick_watts]

he's bigger now than he was in his nbl footage. what has surprised me most is how physical he has been. i'm dubious his scoring will be as efficient, or even close, to how it has been in preseason. he has potential. i'm a bit less annoyed with the pick than i was on draft night. only a bit.

[BlazersBroncos]

he's bigger now than he was in his nbl footage. what has surprised me most is how physical he has been. i'm dubious his scoring will be as efficient, or even close, to how it has been in preseason. he has potential. i'm a bit less annoyed with the pick than i was on draft night. only a bit.

Who would you have preferred?

[DCasey91]

Careful there. Giddey is very under-athletic for a PG--he has no burst and his vertical is weak for the NBA--and he doesn't have freak-ish vision and creation ability. So he's not too much like MCW or Rubio as prospects. He's tall, has a serviceable handle, and grew up a playmaker who can make passes around the whole court. He can hit spot up shots okay (though his form is pretty ugly, sort of a set shot with weird footwork) but his best skill is making use of gaps and good timing to create for himself and others. He'll take a gap off a pick and work that well, take a lane if he gets it, and also uses starts and stops to manipulate the defense some. He's pretty aggressive and competes too. Not quite sure who his comparison would be, I chose current Hayward because his size and passing make him a dangerous driver/pn'r player despite not having much athleticism, but he's more of a point than a wing scorer so that's not a tight fit. He'd also score much more through driving and spot-ups (rather than off the bounce shots) than Hayward.

Cade is more like Hayward (without the burst or savvy offensive vet play) or Paul Pierce but once again I’m not high on his lack of footwork. Hayward was a stud muffin pre injury

I mean a 6”8” Rubio is still a good player. His athleticism will be fine on offense because he’s 6”8” and will probably end up bigger and taller than Lamelo (though he’s much more zippy and athletic and will be a better defender has his brothers active defensive traits, along with shooting/scoring)..

All comps are lazy and inadequate but this comp was with current Hayward, and specifically about the way he drives and creates for others despite limited athleticism (but with a height advantage for the position). That said, Hayward is still mostly a slick shooter--got one of the purer jumpers in the game--so I don't want to make a comp to their overall games, and Giddey is clearly more willing to hold the ball and manipulate the D as he's driving (point guard style) rather than just drive and kick.

Also yeah a 6'8 Rubio who could shoot open jumpers would be a nice player, but Giddey isn't close to rookie Rubio in terms of passing/pn'r wizardy--Giddey is a nice passer who sees most of the court when he has space to survey it. And he also doesn't have his handle or quickness. I don't think that comparison is helpful at all.

Guess I'll got with a more aggressive Kyle Anderson, worse on defense but quicker to attack and more eager to create more for himself and others. Call him Fast-Mo.

Agree with everything you said except for the passing aspect. He’s a great of a passer as young Rubio is and so is Ball. They are really the two best passers along with Trae/Luka to come out the draft in a long long time.

Right, left handed, up/down, high/low, transition, whip off the drive Giddey can do it all.

[DCasey91]

He's so raw, has acceptable but limited athleticism, and by his shooting form, seems to lack strength, has acceptable but limited handles and maybe above average court vision.

I don't understand Presti's fascination on him to take him at #6, I would take him just outside lottery.

Someone compared him to Kyle Anderson, but even Giddey is much faster and quicker than the tortoise. I'd compare him to a young Danilo Gallinari, when he was still a Knick. But even Danilo back then, not exactly known for his athleticism, could still be considered superior in athleticism than Giddey is now imo, which is saying something.

But as Giddey gets stronger in his first few seasons with gym and nutrition routines, he should be a much improved player. He could be a SF version of Manu Ginobili.

Gallo was and is a highly decorated foreign prospect going into it with a very impressive resume pre draft.

Also their play style is way way different, Gallo is arguably the best stretch 4 bomber in the comp right now for that archetype/role.

Hayward’s jumper too has always been filthy.

Giddey is more or less Ball (less special) or a 6”8” Rubio but with older Rubio’s jumper. Both outcomes will bring a damn fine player.

[Mickey8]

He look good , lets see how he fairs when season starts.

[Dez]

His ability to fire off bullet passes with either hand to any spot on the court is underrated.

[HumbleRen]

Its only PS, but Josh is showing a much better ability to score than Kyle. He is also shooting better than Rubio (And has a better shot IMO).

It seems lazy, but a poor mans Luka really is the best comparison, unless I am missing someone. I just cant find one better.

I expect 14/4/5 this year w/ 32-34% 3PT shooting. I think that shot improves w/ time as well. Its very workable, and while a slow release he just finds ways to get open.

I just don't see poor mans Luka at all lol.

Giddey strikes me more of a connecting player, not an offensive hub that you run every play through.

It's the direct opposite of what Luka is.

That's fair, you are weighting temperament and aggression on offense as particularly important features.

Giddey isn't there with that killer instinct. Other than that, his comparison as a poor man's Luka is sound.

Killer instinct, tighter handles and multiple additions to his offensive arsenal will have him looking like Luka. He won't ever be all that though.

All those qualities doesn’t suddenly make one a poor man’s Luka though imo.

The fundamental difference between them is Giddey being a connective player while Luka is the direct opposite of that and that to me is why I can’t ever view him in that Luka mold.

He’s an extremely talented prospect and I hope people don’t think I’m taking a slight at him for saying he isn’t a poor man’s Luka but I just don’t see him in that mold or play style.

[Kobeskillz]

Ive seen so much of this guy lately in the news i read the title as Jon Gruden. lol

[bisme37]

I made a stupid comment a few weeks ago about how I wasn't sure if he was an NBA caliber player. And I knew it was stupid at the time and I still said it, which was even more stupid lol.

I haven't seen enough of him in the preseason to get super giddy about him, but I've seen enough to know he belongs in the league. So I officially retract my earlier comment and apologize to the Giddey family.

[zimpy27]

I just don't see poor mans Luka at all lol.

Giddey strikes me more of a connecting player, not an offensive hub that you run every play through.

It's the direct opposite of what Luka is.

That's fair, you are weighting temperament and aggression on offense as particularly important features.

Giddey isn't there with that killer instinct. Other than that, his comparison as a poor man's Luka is sound.

Killer instinct, tighter handles and multiple additions to his offensive arsenal will have him looking like Luka. He won't ever be all that though.

All those qualities doesn’t suddenly make one a poor man’s Luka though imo.

The fundamental difference between them is Giddey being a connective player while Luka is the direct opposite of that and that to me is why I can’t ever view him in that Luka mold.

He’s an extremely talented prospect and I hope people don’t think I’m taking a slight at him for saying he isn’t a poor man’s Luka but I just don’t see him in that mold or play style.

I think Giddey and Luka were both connective players prior to NBA. Luka changed a bit over his rookie NBA year, he was more connective and eventually got more heliocentric over the season. He came back in year 2 as quite a different guy. I guess it might be too early to determine if Giddey can do the same but I would be surprised if he did.

I understand what you are saying, maybe I'd say poor man's Luka from a talent perspective and at this point unsure how he will apply that talent in the NBA.

[Plossum]

His shooting looks a bit clunky, but his feel for the game seems great and he's sneaky athletic. Is a lot bigger/stronger than I remember him being in the NBL.

Hard to predict what he'll become but on early showings, he belongs in the NBA.

[Clav]

There's a lot of positives for sure. Limited games yet - but his court vision to find guys and make plays off the dribble have been solid. He's beaten defenders off the dribble and found ways to get open looks, his teammates have been bricking a lot of shots, too. That's not going to stop.

Hasn't been a terrible defender but he isn't working around screens well and he's not in his man's body yet so he'll be pushed around a few years. I think he was pretty gassed at the end of the 30 minutes he played. Defensively, this will be a tough year on his body. B2B tonight, will he play well or be dead legged?

There's workable skills for sure -- shot is a little odd but I do think solid practice can tighten the form up, it has decent arc and he moves well without the ball. Right now looks pretty fresh overall and is getting a taste of NBA talent, but the season will probably wear on him this year physically.

There will be games he struggles to score and get stops but solid contributor for sure, wonder how good he'll end up being truly... cause he's definitely skilled as a creator. I'm getting Paul Pierce vibes, kind of older-savvier-less-explosive Paul Pierce, not Prime Truth.

[djsunyc]

if masai is scouting you, you nice.

[brutalitops]

Absolute elite glue guy and 4th best player on a multiple championship team. I think it's a great pick for OKC

But, he's built like a 18 year old. He's no chance of fighting through screens and will be abused defensively just because of his size, he's going to take a little time to grow. Best thing is he's skillful enough to beat guys off the step but it's pre-season so he's going to have some great night's, then some nights he's just going to get Beaten up

[threethehardway]

Its only PS, but Josh is showing a much better ability to score than Kyle. He is also shooting better than Rubio (And has a better shot IMO).

It seems lazy, but a poor mans Luka really is the best comparison, unless I am missing someone. I just cant find one better.

I expect 14/4/5 this year w/ 32-34% 3PT shooting. I think that shot improves w/ time as well. Its very workable, and while a slow release he just finds ways to get open.

How in the world do you get a poor man's Luka when Josh Giddey has a broken jump shot, low scoring aggression, low shot creation ability and a shakey handle?

Josh Giddey is closer to Grevis Vasquez, Shaun Livingston, Ricky Rubio than Luka Doncic.

A poor man's Luka Doncic is Joe Johnson, Gordon Hayward, Jalen Rose.

[Bornstellar]

Giddey kinda gives me Manu vibes

[BlazersBroncos]

Its only PS, but Josh is showing a much better ability to score than Kyle. He is also shooting better than Rubio (And has a better shot IMO).

It seems lazy, but a poor mans Luka really is the best comparison, unless I am missing someone. I just cant find one better.

I expect 14/4/5 this year w/ 32-34% 3PT shooting. I think that shot improves w/ time as well. Its very workable, and while a slow release he just finds ways to get open.

How in the world do you get a poor man's Luka when Josh Giddey has a broken jump shot, low scoring aggression, low shot creation ability and a shakey handle?

Josh Giddey is closer to Grevis Vasquez, Shaun Livingston, Ricky Rubio than Luka Doncic.

A poor man's Luka Doncic is Joe Johnson, Gordon Hayward, Jalen Rose.

Man, I just wholeheartedly disagree. I think Giddey has a better rookie year than any single season of any of the 3 guys you mentioned. In fact I would be shocked if he didn’t.

I think he ends up a Hayward level player. A few stylistic similarities but mostly just on the same level. A quality #3 that makes consistently good decisions. I think Gordon can be a #3 on a ring team and when all is said and done, I think Giddey can be the same.

The Thunder need to find that #1. That’s it. I truly think they have a deep playoff team caliber #2 and #3 already. Obviously not right this moment, but in a few years I see SGA and Josh at that level.

I might be wrong, but this is one I really have a feeling about.

[Dadouv47]

Its only PS, but Josh is showing a much better ability to score than Kyle. He is also shooting better than Rubio (And has a better shot IMO).

It seems lazy, but a poor mans Luka really is the best comparison, unless I am missing someone. I just cant find one better.

I expect 14/4/5 this year w/ 32-34% 3PT shooting. I think that shot improves w/ time as well. Its very workable, and while a slow release he just finds ways to get open.

How in the world do you get a poor man's Luka when Josh Giddey has a broken jump shot, low scoring aggression, low shot creation ability and a shakey handle?

Josh Giddey is closer to Grevis Vasquez, Shaun Livingston, Ricky Rubio than Luka Doncic.

A poor man's Luka Doncic is Joe Johnson, Gordon Hayward, Jalen Rose.

Man, I just wholeheartedly disagree. I think Giddey has a better rookie year than any single season of any of the 3 guys you mentioned. In fact I would be shocked if he didn’t.

I think he ends up a Hayward level player. A few stylistic similarities but mostly just on the same level. A quality #3 that makes consistently good decisions. I think Gordon can be a #3 on a ring team and when all is said and done, I think Giddey can be the same.

The Thunder need to find that #1. That’s it. I truly think they have a deep playoff team caliber #2 and #3 already. Obviously not right this moment, but in a few years I see SGA and Josh at that level.

I might be wrong, but this is one I really have a feeling about.

I think it's a bit early to claim that Giddey is already a lock to become a 3rd option.

I'm really really high on him though and think he may even be a second option on a championship team if everything goes right.

[zimpy27]

Its only PS, but Josh is showing a much better ability to score than Kyle. He is also shooting better than Rubio (And has a better shot IMO).

It seems lazy, but a poor mans Luka really is the best comparison, unless I am missing someone. I just cant find one better.

I expect 14/4/5 this year w/ 32-34% 3PT shooting. I think that shot improves w/ time as well. Its very workable, and while a slow release he just finds ways to get open.

How in the world do you get a poor man's Luka when Josh Giddey has a broken jump shot, low scoring aggression, low shot creation ability and a shakey handle?

Josh Giddey is closer to Grevis Vasquez, Shaun Livingston, Ricky Rubio than Luka Doncic.

A poor man's Luka Doncic is Joe Johnson, Gordon Hayward, Jalen Rose.

Giddey preseason per 29 minutes: 11 FGA, 2.5 3PA, 2 FTA, 13.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg, 2.3 topg

Luka rookie preseason per 29 minutes: 10 FGA, 5.8 3PA, 4.8 FTA, 15 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.3 topg


These preseason stats show they were as aggressive with scoring but Doncic was far more comfortable putting up 3s.
Just emphasizing that it is early to box this kid, truthfully he has been modelling his game on Doncic and he definitely has a lot of similarities. Doncic didn't start as aggressively as he plays now.