Josh Giddey

With Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a late scratch on Tuesday, Giddey was thrust in as the focal point of the offense and he did not disappoint.

[Game Recaps](/nba/game-recaps.php) [Thunder Correspondent](/nba/team-news.php?team=OKC) [Dan Tursky](/news/correspondents/dan-tursky.php)

As a team, the Thunder shot 59.2 percent from the field and went 20-for-40 from downtown. They're not always going to be this hot...

Mann and Joe made a killing in the 3-point area, as they had eight of the team’s 20 buckets from behind the arc. Giddey led all Thunder scorers with 25 points on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting from the field in 24 minutes. For the record, the last time that occurred was in [the late 60s](https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1610513845981745152), per ESPN Stats & Info.

Giddey finished with a season-high 25 points (10-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and added five rebounds, five assists and two steals across 24 minutes in Tuesday's ...

• With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (illness) sitting out, more of the scoring burden fell on Giddey, who responded with his third straight 20-plus-point performance and fourth in the past five contests. The second-year guard is shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three-point range during that five-game stretch, so while the increased offensive production is a nice development, some regression should be expected moving forward.

A cornerstone piece of the Oklahoma City Thunder's roster, Josh Giddey's development as a 3-point shooter over the next few years could dictate just how ...

Just 20.3% of his points come from deep, which is one of the lowest on the team, and his 3-point frequency is just 22.1% this season. Giddey has converted on 90.9% of his free throws since the start of December. He’s also struggling as a 3-point shooter as a pick-and-roll ball handler, converting on just 22.2% (2/9) of those attempts. He’s shooing 23.5% (4/17) on triples off the bounce this season. More recently, we’ve started to see the work the 19-year-old has put in pay off, as he’s shot 45.2% on 3.2 attempts since the start of December. Even when he is guarded more heavily, he’s converting on 36.7% (11/30) of his catch-and-shoot attempts. This is down from 31.8% last season, meaning he’s letting the shots come to him. This was actually a regression from his perimeter efficiency as a rookie. That part of his game could make or break his ability to become a star. The primary weakness in Giddey’s game entering the NBA was his jumper, especially from deep. For the past 17 years, he had been part of the San Antonio Spurs’ system, where he helped develop Hall of Fame level players like Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker along with rising star Dejounte Murray among others. At 6-foot-9, he’s got elite positional size which makes him an effective rebounder and versatile on both ends.

Giddey stuns in perfect response to critics; Ben truth we must accept — Aussies in NBA.

He’s the kind of guy the Pelicans are going to be able to weaponise in the playoffs as a defensive stopper against the league’s best.” He’s in a great spirit, so hopefully soon.” He’s somebody who can pull me aside and come me down and tell me: ‘Hey roll more and hey you’ve got to set more. “He understands that and he does it more. It’s actually hard to overemphasise how good he is on that end for a teenager,” Vecenie wrote. Then also seeing what the groups look like that he plays with has been huge. So maybe this is just who Simmons is now in a Draymond Green-like role? He is a wizard. “What a game he had. People rightfully melted down about Jones last year on the defensive end ... “I’m not exaggerating when I say there are few better, more versatile defenders I’ve seen across the entire NBA this season. “When your body feels good and your mind can say, ‘OK, yeah, my body does feel good,’ then you’re able to do certain things, whether that’s pushing the pace and turn that into a layup, whether that’s post up and be aggressive and physical banging in the post, and getting to the rim.