Giddey's Got Next: OKC's Maestro Hits Triple-Double Milestone

Josh Giddey is quietly becoming one of the league's most consistent stat-stuffers. His 12th triple-double of the season, and the 30th of his young career, against the Grizzlies last week wasn't just another line in the box score; it was a reminder of how rare his skill set truly is. Think about it: he's 21 years old and already in territory usually reserved for veteran point guards. He finished that game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in a comfortable 124-93 victory over Memphis, a performance that felt almost routine for him at this point.

Real talk: when the Thunder drafted him sixth overall in 2021, I heard plenty of whispers about his shooting touch, or lack thereof. People questioned if he could truly be a lead guard in the modern NBA without a consistent jumper. And yeah, his 3-point percentage hovers around 33% for his career, which isn't exactly Steph Curry territory. But that misses the point entirely. Giddey isn't a scorer first, he's a facilitator and a rebounder, a jumbo-sized guard who sees the floor like a chess master. He's averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season, and those numbers don't even fully capture the way he dictates tempo and creates easy looks for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Giddey's Unconventional Path to Stardom

Look, Giddey's game is an anomaly in today's NBA, where every guard is expected to shoot 40% from deep. He's built more like a classic point forward, a Magic Johnson-lite without the explosion, but with similar court vision. He’s already surpassed guys like Russell Westbrook and LeBron James for the fastest to reach 30 triple-doubles; Westbrook did it in 157 games, LeBron in 276. Giddey hit the mark in just 197 games. That's not just good company, that’s elite company, and it speaks volumes about his feel for the game. He notched his first career triple-double on December 26, 2021, against the Pelicans, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to do so at 19 years, 84 days.

Thing is, people always want to compare him to Luka Doncic because of the European connection and the passing flair. But Giddey doesn't dominate the ball nearly as much as Doncic, nor is he asked to be the primary scorer. He operates within the Thunder's free-flowing offense, often initiating from the wing or the elbow, always looking to make the extra pass. His chemistry with Chet Holmgren on those pick-and-rolls is developing nicely, and he knows exactly where Holmgren wants the ball. His best game this season came in a 130-123 win over the Spurs in December, where he dropped 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, shooting 10-for-17 from the field. It showed what he can do when he’s aggressive.

Here's my hot take: the Thunder don't *need* Giddey to become a 20-point scorer. They need him to keep doing exactly what he's doing: filling up the stat sheet, making plays, and taking pressure off SGA. If he can consistently hit 35-36% from three, even on low volume, he becomes an even more dangerous weapon. The 30 triple-doubles at such a young age aren't a fluke; they're a foundation.

I'm telling you, by the time Giddey's 25, he'll have more career triple-doubles than any player currently in the league not named Nikola Jokic.