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Josh Giddey again struggled in the OKC Thunder’s 100-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. The Australian saw action for just 12 minutes and was replaced by Isaiah Joe in the starting lineup to start the second half. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has been forced to limit his minutes as the Mavericks have had success against him on both ends of the floor.
Thunder players were thrilled to regain home-court advantage by beating the Mavericks in a nip-and-tuck affair. When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was interviewed on the court right after Oklahoma’s most impressive win of the season, every player joined the back-and-forth. An X, formerly Twitter, user, however, noticed somebody was missing and promptly reacted.
Josh Giddey was conspicuously absent as the OKC Thunder players gathered around “SGA.” Basketball fans who saw the image promptly reacted:
"giddey has other priorities"
@UnbiasedHoopsLA explained the scene to others:
“Even they don’t want him on their team”
One fan took a cue from Kendrick Lamar’s rip-roaring diss track and adapted it for Giddey:
“He not like us”
Another declared where Josh Giddey should be playing:
“He sucks. He should be in the G League”
Against the New Orleans Pelicans, Josh Giddey played quite well, except in Game 1. His much-maligned outside shooting was even on fire during that series. In Games 3 and 4, he combined to hit 8-for-13 from deep, giving Thunder fans hope he could sustain it versus the Dallas Mavericks.
The opposite has happened against the Mavericks. Not only has he lost his stroke, making just 2-for-11 in four games, his confidence has gone kaput as well. The Australian doesn’t even look at the rim anymore on some occasions. And, it’s not just his offense that is stuttering in the semifinals of the Western Conference.
The Thunder promptly send double teams if Giddey is isolated against one of Dallas’ star point guards. But, it’s not just Irving and Doncic who are thriving with Giddey as the main defender. Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr. and even Dante Exum don’t hesitate to test his defense.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has kept his trust in Josh Giddey amid struggles
Over the last two games, Mark Daigneault has chosen to bench Josh Giddey in the second half. It was Aaron Wiggins who got the nod in Game 3 and then Isaiah Joe in Game 4. Daigneault explained his moves as an “in-game” substitution.
After Monday’s win, that trust seems to be going nowhere as the newly-minted NBA Coach of the Year had this to say about Giddey’s performance:
“I thought Josh was a positive tonight. He won the minutes tonight that he was on the court.”
Josh Giddey had the best net rating among the starters tonight with +6, which was a bit misleading. He played only 12 minutes while the other four saw action for at least 40 minutes. Daigneault hasn’t given up on the Australian despite his struggles on both sides of the ball.
