Poor Olympic performance highlights big flaws for Josh Giddey

For a look at what Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls has done in the Olypics so far, click here.

Game 3: Greece 77 Australia 71

Austraila headed into the final game of pool play controlled their own fate. However, Giannis and the Greeks were able to flip the script and win their first pool game to create a complicated mess in Group A. By far the worst showing of the Boomers in Olympic play was also the least productive game by Josh Giddey.

The ball movement and off ball cutting that was displayed early in the Olympics was missing much of this game against Greece. The Aussies played with little tempo and relied heavy on pick and roll situations with little movement from the other guys. Australia did show some heart by battling back and challenging late in the 4th quarter, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

Group A Final Standings

Canada 3-0
Australia 1-2
Greece 1-2
Spain. 1-2

Josh Giddey's stats vs. Greece

28 Minutes - 9 Points - 1/3 3PT - 4/5 FT - 11 REB - 6 AST - 5 TO

Australia and Giddey did not have the same energy that they had shown in the first two games of pool play. At the start of the game Giddey was much more conservative as teams are applying token pressure in the full court to make the Aussies other players initiate the offense. Giddey has point guard qualities, but is not necessarily a natural point guard. That will be an interesting development moving forward with the Bulls.

Giddey never really got into the flow in the first half as he went 0-3 from the field with four points on free throws. Even when Giddy would take control at the point, he did not play with much pace as the game was played primarily in the half court. He added just one assist with three turnovers. The Boomers trailed by 17 going into the 2nd half.

Giddey was better in his first rotation in the second half hitting a three, making a tough left hand finish and using his vision to setup several good looks for the Aussies. Giddey would play the majority of the quarter with only a short break around the midpoint. Giddey was more aggressive on the boards and Australia showed some life as they trimmed the lead going into the 4th.

Giddey has been on a fairly strict minutes limitation at about 28-30 minutes per game during international play. The Boomers felt the need to stretch Giddey in the 3rd to try to get back in the game, but that meant he would be limited and would need breaks in the 4th quarter. Australia would rally and have opportunities to take the lead late, but they could not get over the hump. Giddey was relatively quiet in the 4th with his minutes limited as he was on the bench.

The silver lining to the loss is that Australia made the game competitive which earned them a spot in the knockout round by the thinnest margins. The more opportunities Giddey is able to hone his leadership skills should bode well for the Bulls.

The development of Giddey has been interesting after three games in the Olympics. He has good positional size and a unique blend of skills that have allowed Australia to be competitive against some of the best teams in the World. Australia values Giddey and he is treated like their best player as he probably should be. With that said, the areas for improvement with Giddey are noticeable as he has a larger role than he did in Oklahoma City.

For how much his three point game was criticized n the NBA playoffs he has been a consistent shooter in international play. One issue that is evident his overall strength, which hopefully continues to improve as he matures.

The other area that is becoming more apparent is that he needs to continue to refine his offensive skillset at the second level or midrange. His game lacks finesse in these situations. If Giddey attacks from perimeter in half court he does so aggressively, but if open teammates are not avaialbe he usually settles for a runner or floater of some sort as he lacks explosiveness to finish around the rim. I have not seen him be able to get to a quality shot in those situations when the first read is not available. Something that the DeMar DeRozan was so great at in his tenure in Chicago.

He is not scared to attack, but sometimes his approach is all-or-nothing, which leads to turnovers because he does not see the help defender sitting in the gap or rotating over ready to take the charge. There will be more to come on what Giddey needs to do for the Bulls this upcoming season, but his next opportunity will be against the reinging MVP Nikola Jokic. Another test for Giddey and a chance for Bulls fans to take a look at a key piece for the upcoming season.

Next Game: Knockout Stage - Quarter Finals: vs. Serbia - Tuesday at 7:30 AM