25-under-25: Josh Giddey wows with great hair and extensive flair

Josh Giddey ranked No. 19 on The Step Back's 2023-24 25-under-25, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are about to shake up the NBA landscape. A win away from the playoffs in 2023, OKC's next logical step is a postseason berth. The Thunder might be too young to skip steps, but there's too much talent on the roster to discount the possibility of a significant leap forward.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the belle of the ball, of course. He led Canada to the bronze medal with a dominant FIBA World Cup run. He was first-team All-NBA last season on the No. 10 seed, which is no easy feat. He's a candidate to lead the NBA in scoring, a top-shelf guard defender, and maybe the single greatest iso scorer in today's game.

We're here to talk about his backcourt running mate, though. Josh Giddey doesn't get the same shine as SGA, but he's an essential building block for Mark Daigneault's offense. The 6-foot-8 Aussie was selected No. 6 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft because of his passing ability, but his NBA upside stretches far beyond the beautiful dimes.

Watching OKC is a singular joy because of the unique lineup construction. Both starting guards are 6-foot-6 or taller. Neither possesses an elite first step or outlier athleticism. In fact, both are known for their funky pace and idiosyncratic movements. The Thunder herk and jerk their way to points, constantly forcing defenders out of position with the subtlest of manipulations.

Giddey is, first and foremost, a certified basketball genius. He sees the floor at a level few NBA players can claim to. It's especially rare for a 20-year-old. Blessed with a high vantage point, Giddey reads the floor with the power of a high-speed computer. He's constantly passing to open teammates, reading every cut or motion and anticipating the defense before delivering on-time, on-target darts.

Not dissimilar to his All-Star teammate, Giddey makes mincemeat of defenders not with athleticism, but with his craft. He uses stop-start handles and sudden changes in direction to gain advantages en route to the rim. He's not bulky, but Giddey has added strength since the draft. Last season saw him improve drastically when it came to absorbing contact and using his height advantage to finish around the rim (60.1 percent on shots within five feet of the basket, compared to 56.9 percent as a rookie).

In addition to the at-rim finishing, Giddey boosted his 3-point numbers in a big way. He's still not elite — or even league average — but there's a notable difference between his 32.5 percent success rate last season and his 26.9 percent clip as a rookie. With Gilgeous-Alexander splitting ball-handling duties and spending so much time around the rim, it will be more important than ever for Giddey to continue his 3-point progression. That is one of the biggest hurdles standing between him and proper stardom.

Josh Giddey and the Oklahoma City Thunder are about to smash down the door to contention

OKC general manager Sam Presti has placed a premium on the intersection of size and skill while building his roster. Giddey is the second-tallest player in the starting five, but there isn't a single key rotational piece, other than No. 10 pick Cason Wallace, who is more than a few inches shorter than the Melbourne native.

Giddey has overcome limited burst and a lack of strength to emerge as a genuinely ascendant star. He is due for a huge third-year jump in concert with his team. The arrival of Chet Holmgren shouldn't go without mention here. All last season, Giddey played with Jaylin Williams, Mike Muscala, Dario Saric, or Jeremiah Robinson-Earl at center — all below-the-rim bigs. Chet, who displayed excellent chemistry with Giddey in 2022 Summer League, is the first legitimate lob target Giddey will have at his disposal. With a vertical threat to stretch the defense even further, expect Giddey's numbers to creep even higher.

In many ways, Giddey is the perfect draft nerd darling turned NBA stud. His game is rooted almost entirely in precisely calibrated skill. He doesn't produce highlight reel dunks or bursty displays of self-creation. He occupies the Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playmaking vein, albeit without as prolific a scoring presence. Giddey's highlights come in the form of unfathomable passes or borderline incomprehensible footwork. He strides around the court with a gangling gait, often scooting around defenders with all the grace of a baby giraffe — but it works, often quite beautifully. There is a singular cadence to Giddey's game. The way he moves and the way he processes the game is wholly his own, and that's what makes him so special.

You heard it here first: the Thunder are good. Not on the rise, not pretty good, but good. Do not count out the possibility of a top-four finish and home-court advantage in the playoffs. For such a young team, the Thunder were remarkably poised and resilient down the stretch of last season. Few more so than Giddey, who dropped 31 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists in OKC's play-in victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. That felt like a launching point for the next decade of Thunder basketball, and Giddey was right at the heart of it.

The defense isn't great, but it's far from terrible. Giddey's intelligence spreads to all areas of the game. He works well within a team context and the effort level is constant. There are fewer holes in his game, seemingly by the month. He runs the risk of getting overshadowed by such a talented young group, but one has to imagine the singular nature of Giddey's game — combined with the occasional triple-double — will earn him respect across the league for years to come.