Josh Giddey's Magical Month of March. Examining the OKC Thunder guard by the numbers
Thunder guard Josh Giddey ended his magical month of March with a flourish. A 16-point, 13-rebound, 12-assist triple-double at Madison Square Garden on Sunday in the Thunder’s win against the Knicks.
In three games at the Garden, Giddey has three triple-doubles. His triple-double Sunday was the 10th of his career — tied for 18th-most among active players.
But far more important than the triple-double stat is how Giddey has found his groove in March. The third-year guard, in a trying season both on and off the court, is playing his best basketball at the best of times, with the playoffs three weeks away.
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Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of Giddey’s season.
October: 4 games, 27.6 minutes, 12 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 39.5% FG, 37.5% 3FG
November: 14 games, 26.6 minutes, 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 44.7% FG, 28.6% 3FG
December: 12 games, 22.9 minutes, 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 47.9% FG, 38.1% 3FG
January: 17 games, 23.9 minutes, 10.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 44.9% FG, 30.8% 3FG
February: 11 games, 23.9 minutes, 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 42.9% FG, 28.9% 3FG
March: 15 games, 25.8 minutes, 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 57.2% FG, 41.4% 3FG
Giddey’s March numbers, both in volume and efficiency, were up across the board.
He looked comfortable in his role. His fit within the offense wasn’t as clunky.
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There were far fewer possessions in which Giddey got the ball on an island and reluctantly took the exact 3-point shot the defense wanted to force. And when that did happen, Giddey made defenses pay.
Most of Giddey’s improvement, both aesthetically and statistically, can be reduced to the randomness of shot making. Everything looks better when the ball goes in.
But Credit Mark Daigneault and his coaching staff for sticking with Giddey and putting him into advantageous spots.
In March, the Thunder outscored opponents by 11.6 points per 100 possessions with Giddey on the floor. That was the best net rating of any Thunder starter.
Giddey’s arrow is trending upward just in time for the playoffs.
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Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Josh Giddey's Magical Month of March: OKC Thunder guard by the numbers
