After taking part in a lot of the final two seasons firmly within the shadow of Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey is beginning to discover a while within the highlight.
Heading into the matchup with the visiting Indiana Pacers on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), Giddey is taking part in the perfect basketball of his younger profession.
The second-year guard has scored 20 or extra factors in three consecutive video games, together with a 28-point efficiency in Sunday’s win at Brooklyn, which matches a profession excessive. Giddey has scored at the very least 20 factors in eight of his final 12 contests.
“Josh has been really good,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “He’s being aggressive, he’s making the right play, he’s playing super-efficient basketball.
“The child works laborious and he has the psychological (recreation), for certain.”
Over the last nine games, Giddey is shooting 52.7 per cent from the floor, raising his season percentage to 47.9 after shooting just under 42 per cent as a rookie.
“I used to settle for lots of floaters within the midrange, numerous powerful stuff excessive of individuals, however now I’m simply making an attempt to know my physique,” Giddey said.
Giddey’s improvement has lifted the Thunder as a whole.
“Early within the yr, I assumed he (Giddey) was simply making an attempt to shoot over folks, and now he is taking house up,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said.
“When he creates that sort of house at his measurement and power, he is getting stuff across the basket.”
The Thunder (21-23) come into the Pacers match on a three-game winning streak, with all three victories coming on the road.
Indiana (23-22) come into the game on a four-game losing streak.
Pacers centre Myles Turner returned for Monday’s loss at Milwaukee after missing three games with back spasms and finished with 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
While Turner is working his way back in, the Pacers remain without guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has missed the last three games with a sprained elbow and knee bruise and is set to miss several more games.
The Pacers have struggled, especially late in games, without Haliburton.
During the recent stretch without Haliburton, Indiana have allowed 125 points per game and are averaging 15.3 turnovers per game.
The Pacers have been outscored by an average of 8.3 points in the fourth quarter of the three games without Haliburton.
Wednesday’s assembly is the primary of two between the groups this season.
