When being drafted sixth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, guard Josh Giddey instantly became part of the Oklahoma City’s young core. Going forward, he’ll grow as a prospect in the backcourt alongside rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder have a ton of young talent they’re going to be developing over the next several seasons, but Giddey has one of the highest ceilings of any. If he reaches his full potential, the Australian could be an All-Star type player in the NBA.
With all of this young talent, Giddey is fully aware of how good Oklahoma City could be down the road. Still in the middle of a rebuild, the pieces continue to come together with Giddey being a huge step in the right direction.
“The way they talked and told me about how they want to lift their program and the direction they're headed in, it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Giddey told Thunder reporter Nick Gallo. “It's a young team and I think it can be something really special and I wanted to be a part of that. Moving forward hopefully in the next coming years we can have a lot of success in Oklahoma.”
It takes the players believing the team can have success for this to actually happen. Having buy-in at all levels is key, and Giddey knows how bright the future could be in OKC.
Standing at 6-foot-9, he has the chance to be an absolute mismatch on offense. Giddey will be much bigger than many guards who attempt to defend him, but too quick for forwards to stay in front of.
With a record amount of draft capital over the next few years to leverage in building the roster around the Thunder’s young core, something truly special could be unfolding in Oklahoma City.
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