The 2023-24 season ended really badly for Josh Giddey. The young Australian player saw how his role in the Oklahoma City Thunder diminished to the point of spending real minutes on the bench during the playoffs. With such a reality in front of him, shortly afterward he had to speak with Sam Presti, the team’s general manager, whom he indicated that he did not see himself starting from the bench for the 2024-25 season. We all know how the story ended: Giddey is a new player for the Chicago Bulls after being traded for Alex Caruso.
«I told him that at this point in my career, I’m 21 years old, it wasn’t something I was too eager to do (be a substitute). He understood it completely. Throughout the entire process we were open and honest with each other… He understood it. We worked together throughout the process and he took me to a great place,” he says during the press conference introducing him as a new player in the Illinois organization.
Questioned about the decline in his statistics, which remained at 12.3 points, 6.4 assists and 5 rebounds with 47.5% in field goals, the guard He points out that more than something personal, it is a consequence of the group, since the staff improved and with it the distribution of responsibilities changed drastically.
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“I don’t think that speaks to a negative view of me. It was more that our team became so good… There were several players who could handle the ball and do different things. I had to adapt. I had to learn different things. While you’re in the middle of all that, it’s hard to see the light, but looking back on it now probably shows that it taught me a lot of lessons that are necessary for a young player at the beginning of his career on how to adapt to different environments,” he explains.
A big step in your career
The reality is that Giddey looked out of place on the Thunder, almost as if the team was growing in one direction and he was going in another. And it is not a sensation of fans or press, but rather the protagonist himself sees it as is.
«In my opinion, it was going to be difficult to realize my full potential on a team like Oklahoma City with so many talented guys who needed the ball in their hands, who were great with the ball in their hands. A change of scenery will perhaps unlock more of who I can be as a player. Being able to make the game easy for everyone, being able to get guys involved, distribute the ball and get other players to have confidence around me is something I pride myself on. It’s hard to do that in a role where the ball isn’t in your hands too much… I want to start by being the playmaker«, sentence.
(Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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2024-06-26 06:00:00
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