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About Josh Giddey
• Josh Giddey is a young point-forward with tremendous instincts as a passer coming off an impressive rookie year with the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL. The Melbourne native emerged as a prospect in his mid-teens earning a call to the NBA Global Academy, showing well at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, participating in the NBA Academy Games, and making his Australian National Team debut before joining the 36ers through the NBL Next Stars program ahead of the 2020-21 season. Averaging 10.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per-game under Adelaide Head Coach and former NBA guard Conner Henry, Giddey had a breakout year as a rookie.
• Listed at 6’8 with a 200-pound frame to go along with an even wingspan, Giddey is not especially long or explosive and has room to get stronger but has tremendous size for a primary ball handler.
• An instinctual player with excellent vision, Giddey led the NBL in assists per game despite ranking among its youngest players. Displaying an advanced feel for facilitating out ball screens, making creative plays in the open floor, and scoring opportunistically around the rim, Giddey’s pace, craftiness, and unselfish approach shined in the NBL. He still has significant room to improve as a jump shooter to help keep defenders honest, but has some unique tools as a playmaker for a prospect his age.
• Ranking in the top-5 in the NBL in rebounds and displaying good timing getting in the passing lanes, Giddey’s strong feel for the game translated to the defensive end as well, but his ability to become more physical could be key to his ability to hold his own at the next level.
Advanced Stats
• Applying his talent as a passer prolifically as a rookie, Giddey generated almost twice as many points with his passes out of pick and rolls than he scored himself. He posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9 in the half court, and showed the ability to dart long pin-point passes to the open man reading defenders on the move. The 18-year-old guard displayed unique court vision for a lead guard, let alone a teenager playing at a high level for the first time.
• Manipulating defenders playing with pace, Giddey is far more crafty than he is explosive getting to spots off the dribble. With almost half of his attempts coming around the rim, he averaged 1.32 points per finishing opportunity inside [74th percentile] and 0.75 points per floater [45th percentile] as he did a solid job picking and choosing his spots inside, possesses soft touch with both hands, and showed some ability to use his size to his advantage spinning off smaller defenders. While he did not draw many fouls attacking the rim, he was quite opportunistic in close.
• Giddey’s ability to maximize his passing ability and craftiness off the dribble is rooted in his jump shooting ability. Averaging 0.82 points per jump shot in the half court [32nd percentile], he has some things to clean up mechanically to keep opposing teams honest in ball screen coverages.
• Ranked 2nd in the NBL in points created per game by passes out of the pick and roll (9.4 points per game)
Defensive Analysis
• Making use of his size and instincts on the glass, Giddey finished the year ranked among most productive rebounding guards in NBL history. Making some plays in the passing lanes, his anticipation skills translated off the ball as well.
• Giving up physicality in some matchups and lacking a degree of length, Giddey has room to grow as an individual defender to ease his transition to the next level.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
