Chicago Bulls: Top 12 point guards and scouting reports in 2021 draft
Adelaide 36ers. JOSH GIDDEY. 3. 10.9 Points, 7.4 Rebounds, 7.5 Assists, 1.1 Steals, 0.5 Blocks, 43% FG, 29% 3PT, 69% FT, 32 Minutes Per Game. Point Guard
Height: 6 Feet 8 Inches
Weight: 205 Pounds
Wingspan: 6ft 8 Inches
League: NBL
Draft Age: 18.69
Draft Projection: Late Lottery
The NBL is becoming a more and more viable option for young players looking to play professionally instead of at the collegiate level before declaring for the NBA Draft. With players such as R.J. Hampton and LaMelo Ball choosing a similar route in 2019-2020, Josh Giddey appears to be the next NBL product to hear his name called in the NBA Draft.
A native of Melbourne, the Aussie played his first professional season with the 36ers in 2020-2021 and looked to be among the better playmakers in all of the NBL.
The draw to Giddey will without a doubt be the potential to have a 6-foot-8 point guard who can facilitate an offense at a high level. His combination of size and playmaking has been compared to other Australian products in Ben Simmons and Joe Ingles, but his scoring capabilities to this point favor the former comparison.
Giddey’s offensive game has a long way to come, as his range is quite limited to this point in his very young professional career. However, Ball also shot the basketball poorly during his time in the NBL and found success in the NBA.
Though Giddey is not going to be the scorer that Ball has the potential to be, Giddey has quite a high ceiling himself. His size gives him great two-way potential, as he has improved greatly on that end over the past year and will look to continue to do so in the United States. These aspects of his game give him a high ceiling, but at minimum he should be able to facilitate an NBA offense in a reserve role.
Giddey’s draft range could realistically be anywhere from the back end of the top-ten to the low-twenties. His lack of three point range will likely turn off a some teams in the lottery, but he could end up being a great find for someone in the middle of the first round, if he were to slip on draft night.