“Josh Giddey is in rarefied air!”: Thunder rookie joins LeBron James and LaMelo Ball on list of youngest NBA players with 100 assists and 100 rebounds

Rookie Josh Giddey’s career looks nothing less than promising as he joins LeBron and LeMolo in the rebounding and assists category in this season so far.

The Australian guard, Josh Giddey has been the primary playmaker for his team Oklahoma City Thunder, especially after the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to a right ankle injury.

Josh was drafted at 6th overall by OKC in this year’s draft. Before playing in the NBA, he was signed by Adelaide 36ers to play in National Basketball League (NBL).

He averaged 10.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and led league-leading 7.6 assists in 28 games in the 2020-2021 season. He became that year NBL’s Rookie Of The Year.

There is no surprise that he is one of the contenders for this year NBA’s Rookie Of The Year. Looks like this is just the beginning of a promising career :

🇦🇺 @joshgiddey joins LaMelo Ball and LeBron James as the only teenagers in NBA history to reach 100 assists and 100 rebounds in their first 20 games! #NBA75 #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/yRM8XTlM21

— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) November 25, 2021

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Josh Giddey is in an elite NBA group

LeBron James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals in his rookie season in 2003-2004. Whereas LaMelo Ball averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals in his rookie season in 2020-2021.

Compared to these former ROTYs, Giddey is averaging 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. His elite playmaking skills have earned him a spot in this elite company so far.

He is definitely the best passer in his draft class. But his numbers can take a hit once SGA returns to the lineup. In the 2 games in which SGA was absent, Giddey got more touches to score.

He scored 15 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks and 19 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds against the Utah jazz. He will need more touches if he’s targeting the ROTY trophy. But so far he’s doing pretty good for a guy who was cut three times from state-level basketball.

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