In the early stages of the NBA season, 21-year-old Josh Giddey‘s struggles have become a concern for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Giddey‘s shooting efficiency has declined compared to last season, with percentages of 42.7 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range, and career-worst figures on two-pointers and effective field goal percentage.
The third-year guard is also facing challenges finishing inside the paint, recording career lows in shooting percentages for shots within 0-3 feet and 3-10 feet from the basket.
Off-court controversy
Additionally, Giddey’s on-court performance is coupled with serious off-court allegations of an alleged relationship with a minor, currently under investigation by the NBA and California police.
Despite the rough start, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault refrains from passing judgment based on a 19-game sample size, attributing Giddey’s struggles to the type of offseason he had.
“His efficiency is down,” Daigneault said.
“I’ve said this about other players before and I’ll say this about him – your efficiency can be down or your performance can be down and you can still be a better player.
“You can’t convince me with all the experience he’s had in this past – comes into the summer, he improves his body, he improves his shot, he plays national team and gets exposure to a different team, different role, high-level competition – you can’t convince me that he does all that all summer and comes back here a worse player.
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“Now, his efficiency is down. That may be true. But he’s still a better player than he was a year ago and it’s important – for us, for you guys, for everybody – to understand that development is not linear and the reason we say growth through experiences is you have to grow through your struggles. And sometimes your struggles are blessings in disguise.
“He’s struggled obviously from an efficiency standpoint but it’s not an indictment on him as a player – if anything, he’s a better player. He can turn these struggles with the efficiency into future growth if he interacts with those the right way and I have no doubt he will.”
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