Josh Giddey 2021 NBA Draft Profile

The 2021 NBA Draft will be an important event for teams to build for their future. Here is the Josh Giddey 2021 NBA Draft Profile.

Josh Giddey Background

Position: Forward

Size: 6-foot-8, 205 pounds

Country: Australia

Class: N/A

2020-21 stats: 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 0.5 blocks, 1.1 steals, 42.7% FG, 29.3% 3PT, 69.1% FT

Giddey has plenty of international basketball experience, but played just one year of pro basketball in Australia. He will be making the jump from the National Basketball League to the NBA in America during the 2021 NBA Draft.

His primary success in his career has come by playing for the Australian National team. He helped the team win the FIBA U-17 Oceania Championships and has since been called up to the national team’s roster for some appearances. He is an emergency replacement player for their Olympic roster. Giddey turned down Division I offers to play professionally in the NBL. He won the NBL Rookie of the Year award after averaging 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game.

Following the season, Giddey was released from the Adelaide 36ers roster to pursue his dreams in the NBA. He is currently projected to be a mid to late first round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Strengths

Josh Giddey

Giddey will have great measurables and a body he can add muscle to. He stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs 205 pounds. While he’ll need to hit the weight room to match up with bigger players, his size is unique in that he has some guard-like skills. If he grows into his body more, Giddey could be a matchup problem.

Passing is Giddey’s calling card. He makes highlight-reel passes, but also can be seen making routine passes with ease. His ability to find players cutting underneath the basket and passing through traffic is rare. He also can set up teammates for open 3-pointers and can make the right pass in transition as well. To go with his passing, he also protects the ball while passing. He had 7.5 assists and 3.3 turnovers per game. The turnovers are a tad high, but it is a solid assist to turnover ratio.

When he is able to beat his man or get in transition, Giddey finishes well. His size allows him to finish over smaller defenders, but he can also adjust if he goes up against a bigger defender. He can finish through contact. Giddey won’t often finish things with a dunk, but he has a soft touch near the rim.

Weaknesses

Giddey is not a great shooter. He shot lower than 30 percent from 3-point range in the NBL. To go with that, he shot 42 percent from the floor and below 70 percent from the free throw line. He needs to be more consistent, as he is also a streaky shooter. It may be hard for him to get his shot off because he takes some time to release the ball.

His defense will be put to the test in the NBA. He struggled to guard players that were smaller than him because they had more footspeed to get around him and to create space. Giddey also can’t always guard bigger players because they are much stronger than him. The team that drafts Giddey may need to hide him on the defensive end of the floor.

He has a unique skillset for a player his size, but he doesn’t have the greatest athleticism. He lacks quickness and speed to get to the basket often against NBA competition. It also limits him on the defensive end of the floor as already mentioned.

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