The Oklahoma City Thunder they proceed in their intense and equally precious reconstruction process, having selected Josh Giddey, eighteen-year-old returning from a year among the professionals in Australia, with the choice number 6. The young point-guard will enter a group that can already boast players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Aleksej Pokesevski and three other prospects recently caught by the NBA draft.
To orchestrate, supervise, and manage the development with particular attention Sam Presti, general manager of the Thunder. Known for his maniacal affection for draft picks, Presti has amassed over the past few seasons, and presumably will do the same in the foreseeable future, a multitude of choices on the first and second round.
The latter can also be useful within an exchange, however, to date, the Thunder and the respective general manager have focused on using these choices at the time of the draft, being still under reconstruction and not needing players. already ready. The arrival of Josh Giddey, along with that of Three Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, ed Aaron Wiggins, fits perfectly into this frame.
Sam Presti welcomes Josh Giddey: “The ability to read the game is fundamental in today’s NBA”
For those who have never had to deal with Josh Giddey, the latter can be superficially summarized as follows: a point-guard of considerable size (203cm) with a game viewing, an ability to read the game and react accordingly, an instinct to find or put in rhythm the teammates, without a shadow of a doubt already elitari and almost innate. The counterpart is an offensive technical background still in progress, an athleticism not like the comrades out of the various American colleges and a defensive phase yet to be discovered.
In short, Giddey probably looks like LaMelo Ball, who among other things attended the same Australian club previously, or a Joe Ingles: two excellent passers capable of carrying out quick and effective readings from the dribble and in pick and roll situations, with a weak non-emotional but in terms of lack for defense and athleticism.
The Thunder have glimpsed in Giddey the perfect man to field alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be able to share the duties of point-guard with the 18-year-old newcomer and perhaps focus more on offensive production. In the introductory lecture that followed the draft, Sam Presti wanted to praise the team play that would be created thanks to the recent grafts.
“The ability to anticipate and process the game is fundamental in today’s basketball due to its high pace and the way it is conducted by players and referees. Our goal is to play genuine basketball, and one of the ways to achieve this is to play as a team, to put our teammates in a favorable position to make the basket ”.
“Throughout our history”, continued Presti, “We have been able to boast amazingly talented players who have guaranteed us excellent results, but now we have a new opportunity in front of our eyes.”
Presti referred, albeit implicitly, to players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Paul George and Chris Paul, who over the years have alternated as standard bearers of the Thunder themselves. However, excluding a final lost to the Miami Heat in 2012, Oklahoma City did not always achieve the desired results, which was almost a paradox given the talent present in the team.
This fact may have convinced Sam Presti to abandon the idea of building the team around two or three fundamental players, thus opting for a game system oriented more to the collectivity. Josh Giddey, for example, is the emblem of the player altruistic promoter of team play.
Giddey himself stated that he can contribute immediately to the Thunder game system: “In Australia I didn’t have the chance to play with a second ball carrier, so I had to manage the game 90% of the time. In Oklahoma City I will have the opportunity to take the field with Shai, a boy with a bright future ahead of him with whom I will be able to elevate my game ”.
