It wasn’t that long ago that Australian point guard Josh Giddey’s objective was to play in the NBL – not the NBA.
The Melbourne-born teenager had Australia’s elite domestic league in mind when it came to career goals, but his game kept improving – and eventually so did his goals.
“I was good at basketball but I just didn’t think I’d be in the position I am now,” Giddey said.
“My goal was to be a good NBL player.
“The NBA was always a dream, but it didn’t become a reality until probably six to 12 months ago.”
The 18-year-old Giddey is among another crop of intriguing international prospects expected to hear their names called in the NBA draft on Thursday (Friday AEST).
Other projected first-round selections are Usman Garuba, a centre/power forward from Spain, and Alperen Sengun, a centre from Turkey.
Some NBA fans may not know their names yet, as was the case with some other gems that have come from the international pool of players in recent years like Luka Doncic (3rd overall pick in 2018), Nikola Jokic (41st overall in 2014) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (15th overall in 2013).
Giddey, considered one of the best passers in the 2021 draft class, had turned down college offers and instead chose to play this year for the Adelaide 36ers.
It’s appears like it was a good decision.
In 28 games, he averaged 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, a league-leading 7.6 assists, and 3.3 turnovers per game.
“Playing against grown men at an early age I thought would fast-track my development,” Giddey said in a pre-draft media session online.
He also credits the NBA Global Academy with developing his game and putting him on the radar with scouts.
While not super explosive like other prospects, the 2-metre tall Giddey makes up for it with his basketball IQ.
“I’m not a big highlight reel kind of guy. I’m a team-first playmaking guard,” he said.
“My game is kind of as you see it.
“Passing is my biggest strength … in the NBA because the court is so much more spaced and spread out – it’s going to allow me to get into the paint and make some more reads, whether that’s scoring on the read myself or hitting teammates.”
One concern for NBA teams, however, could be Giddey’s shooting, which remains a work in progress.
He shot 43 per cent overall and just 29.3 per cent from the 3-point line in a fairly small sample size (29 of 99 from long range).
Giddey said he had a slow start to the NBL season but improved over the course of the campaign.
“It took me a little while to find my feet,” he said.
“I think the shooting thing about me is a bit exaggerated.
“I started the year so bad it was hard for me to catch up percentage-wise.”
AAP
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