Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Josh Giddey on Monday surpassed Russell Westbrook in team history and joined LeBron James and Luka Doncic in some elite company with his latest performance.
Giddey produced 14 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot in a 98-81 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished by shooting 5-of-12 from the field in 32 minutes of work as the Thunder outscored the Trail Blazers 59-34 in the second half to win.
The double-double by Giddey was his 11th of the season, which broke the Thunder team record for a rookie set by Westbrook. He also joined James, Doncic and LaMelo Ball as the only teenagers with 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists over the first 45 games of their career.
Giddey once again downplayed the significance of those numbers.
The NBA happens so quick, you’re playing so many games so you can’t really sit there and think about yourself too much. It is cool. The stats are all good but, for me, it is all about winning and the more wins we can get, the happier I’ll be.
The sixth pick this season has often put the team’s success ahead of his own personal accomplishments but it is clear that Giddey is having a productive rookie campaign. He is putting up some rare numbers and has his name up there with some elite company, as a result.
Giddey has stuffed the stat sheet all season long for the Thunder. He has proven to be a strong leader on the court and has become a key player for the team. Because of that, Giddey has emerged as one of the top first-year players this season.
The Thunder have certainly liked what Giddey has given them in his first season. He has shown plenty of promise and will continue to do so the more he improves and develops his game moving forward.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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