Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti likes to talk in ‘Presti-isms’.
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Talk of “fluffy pancakes” and “car washes” when speaking about how challenging players brings the best out of them.
Then there was the “second mountain”, and at the end of the 2022-23 season they were “staring that sucker down”. The second mountain being a return to the playoffs after losing seasons which, while short-lived, were still the topic of much debate.
Fri, 06 Jun
Friday June 6th
From that same exit interview came another line, one which takes on added meaning as Presti and the Thunder reflect back on their rebuild. Where they’ve come from and where they are now.
“The outcomes will come downstream from the decisions that we make.”
The first of those major decisions came in the summer of 2019 when, after several early playoff exits, Oklahoma City traded Paul George and Russell Westbrook.
Little did the Thunder know what would be coming downstream from that decision in the form of a soon-to-be league MVP. But they saw something in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The same goes for Josh Giddey.
Daniel Bell has been covering the team since 2019, when this new era of Oklahoma City basketball started to take shape.
He remembers a lot of things about Giddey’s rookie season.
The way he was as polished in the press conference room as he was on the court. A “phenomenal player to cover in that aspect”, as Bell told foxsports.com.au.
“I knew at least you’re going to get a really professional answer out of him,” he added.
You were going to get a real answer as well when it came to Giddey’s shortcomings, like his shooting issues. Giddey was always up front improving that was on him.
Bell also remembers the first time Giddey was asked about coming up one rebound short of his first triple-double. And the second time. The third time too.
He definitely remembers the night when Giddey finally made history, becoming the youngest player to bring up the feat with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists in a loss to Dallas.
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Giddey made history against the Mavericks. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
Giddey made history against the Mavericks. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Bell was the one to ask Giddey how happy he was to finally get the triple-double. Not so much because he had entered the record books but because he wouldn’t have to answer questions about it anymore.
“You could tell that was something that was on his mind,” Bell added.
Giddey’s response that night to questions about the accolade was everything you would expect.
“It’s cool. I’ll enjoy it for the night,” he told reporters. “But a win is better for me than an individual stat.”
Professional as always, like Bell said. Team-first, like this current version of OKC has always been.
By the end of Giddey’s rookie year he had claimed Western Conference Rookie of the Month honours four months in a row.
The triple-doubles kept coming too. Three in a row in fact, with Giddey joining Oscar Robertson as the only rookie in NBA history to do so.
The future in Oklahoma City was bright. Giddey was a big part of it. At some point down the stream, the hope was that a championship may be there waiting.
But in order to get there, like he did in the summer of 2019, Presti had to make another decision. That involved trading away the same player who was the first piece of that rebuild.
“He was the start of it. He was the first pick of the rebuild,” Bell said of Giddey.
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HOW GIDDEY ‘BROUGHT LIFE’ TO THUNDER DURING ‘DARK TIMES’
As Oklahoma City prepares for its first trip to the NBA Finals since 2012, it is easy to forget the role Giddey played in getting them there.
Starting, quite simply, with the fact he was the first player drafted in this new era of Thunder basketball.
“When you talk about draft picks, he was the first player the Thunder chose to build around,” Bell said.
“So they don’t get to this point without Josh Giddey.”
Nick Crain, meanwhile, said it isn’t just the fact that the Thunder drafted Giddey. Rather, his selection in itself at “the highest level” perhaps represented “a change in draft philosophy” for Oklahoma City.
“Sam Presti has been asked about this, and he pushes back a little bit whenever he’s asked about changing his draft philosophy, but I truly believe that Josh was an indicator of what was to come in terms of how he was going to build the team,” Crain, who covers the Thunder for Forbes and is the co-founder of Draft Digest, told foxsports.com.au.
“The first iteration of Thunder basketball pre tearing it down and rebuilding was a lot of size, length, athleticism but less on the feel and the IQ.
“Not that he drafted dumb players, but it seemed that athleticism and length was more important to him and Josh, not that he’s unathletic, but he’s not the kind of guy who’s going to jump out of the gym and dunk on everybody and have high-flying highlights and have the insane defensive lateral movement that’s going to be a lockdown defender.
“But he had the smarts and he played the right way and what you look at now when you see this version of the Thunder that’s now in the NBA Finals, it’s like every single person on the floor one through 10 at least on the roster is smart.
“They may not be the most athletic, they may not have superstar upside but they can be trusted on the floor and they can play within their role and they’re very, very coachable.”
Giddey was a key part of Oklahoma City’s rebuild. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Giddey was a key part of Oklahoma City’s rebuild. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Obviously it goes without saying that Giddey isn’t the reason or even front of mind for most people when they think about why Oklahoma City is in the position it is.
Gilgeous-Alexander is now the league’s reigning MVP in his own right. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren both silenced their sceptics this postseason to emerge as true co-stars alongside him. Cason Wallace looks like a genuine, two-way difference-maker off the bench.
Alex Caruso, who the Thunder traded for Giddey this summer, is the exact piece they needed to complete this championship-calibre roster along with Isaiah Hartenstein.
But in those early years when Gilgeous-Alexander battled injuries on the path to superstardom and Williams was still finding his way, Giddey’s presence alone helped prepare those two for the challenges of this season.
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“It allowed Shai to develop more, especially off the ball and play now alongside Jalen, somebody that has the ball in their hands a lot,” Bell said.
“It allowed Jalen to develop with the ball and off the ball because there’s times when those two shared the floor together and Shai was off the floor. Dub got to play with a guy that plays with the ball a lot too.
“I mean he was a huge part of this and I don’t think that they get to this point and where they are.
“Maybe they do, maybe they don’t but development wise Josh was a huge part of the Thunder’s success along the way. That’s the first guy that the Thunder really showed trust in trying to be a part of what they were trying to build.”
In other ways, what Giddey gave the Thunder and their fans was something far more simple and yet far more powerful. He gave them “life”, as Crain put it.
“A reason to watch Thunder basketball when there was every reason not to,” he added.
“Like, his rookie season when he was the number two guy next to Shai, I think people forget Shai during that point in time in the rebuild was missing a lot of games. They were all injury related but you could speculate that with some of those injuries, he was held out longer than he normally would be if they were being competitive and Josh was the face of the team for portions of those seasons where he was the primary playmaker.
“I think about the New York Knicks game when he went into the Madison Square Garden, had a triple double and the commentator post-game is doing his Giddey, Giddey, Giddey thing. He brought a lot of light to some dark times in Oklahoma City during the rebuild.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Giddey on draft night.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Giddey on draft night.Source: Supplied
Although not everyone could see the light from the start. After all, while Giddey’s rookie season was a resounding success, the high-upside swing at sixth overall was a controversial pick, especially with Jonathan Kuminga still on the board and widely linked to OKC.
Crain even admitted the connection to Oklahoma City was “not one that I saw coming”.
“I honestly thought there was a real chance that the Jonathan Kuminga was going to be the pick for the Thunder on draft night,” he said.
“I thought the Thunder were going to go with Kuminga,” agreed Bell.
There were also questions about his fit alongside Gilgeous-Alexander given his shooting concerns, while Bell said the simple fact he was an international player even meant some people just had to wait to see Giddey do it at an NBA level before believing in him.
“But once they got Josh in the building it was obvious how impressive he was to the Thunder,” he added.
Giddey quickly grew on the fanbase. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Giddey quickly grew on the fanbase. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Crain, meanwhile, learned two quick things about Giddey from his opening press conference in his rookie year. The first being that the Australian’sIQ and understanding of the game were “off the charts for his age”, while he also described Giddey’s maturity level as “insane”.
“I think as time went along everybody saw the vision for what he could be,” added Bell.
That vision, at least when it came to Giddey’s fit alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, wasn’t always easy to see in his rookie year given injuries robbed them of a chance to consistently share the court together and build chemistry.
Although even when they were healthy, and especially once Gilgeous-Alexander went to the next level, it seemed like there was going to be a point where Giddey would either need to adjust his game or re-evaluate his future in Oklahoma City.
THE TRADE AND ‘UNDERDISCUSSED’ FACTOR IN WHY IT HAD TO HAPPEN
Gilgeous-Alexander’s development was just one piece of the puzzle though. The rapid development of Williams only further complicated matters, as did the emergence of Holmgren and even the growth of someone like Wallace into a reliable contributor on both ends.
It went beyond the players themselves too, as Crain explained when he was asked what went into the Thunder’s decision to move on from Giddey in the 2023-24 offseason.
“I think that’s multifaceted,” he replied.
“There are the individual players growing quickly around him. Take Ousmane Dieng, for example, he is developing much slower than Jalen Williams, and he was the pick right before.
“If the Thunder had not drafted both of those guys or only drafted Ousmane Dieng, the entire timeline shifts. The individual players around Josh getting as good as quickly as they were definitely played a factor.
“But I think the team’s timeline as well played a quite a huge factor. If you’re going to contend, especially under the new CBA, your best chance of having an incredibly deep roster that can win a championship with a guy like SGA at the helm requires you to have a lot of small contracts obviously.”
Jalen Williams quickly developed into a genuine star. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Jalen Williams quickly developed into a genuine star. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)Source: AP
That was possible in the early stages of the rebuild, but with both Holmgren and Williams approaching likely rookie max extensions and Giddey nearing a major payday of his own, the Thunder had to make a decision.
“Your window of contention with manageable contracts shrinks tremendously when those days come,” added Crain.
“I think that that’s another factor that’s underdiscussed is as soon as those guys get extended, the ability to bring in an Isaiah Hartenstein or trade for an Alex Caruso and then extend him go out the window because your cap sheet is just mucked up immediately.
“I think that a big factor in all this was Sam Presti knew there was maybe two years of a window where this team could have three All-Star, All-NBA caliber players in Shai, Chet and Jalen Williams on very manageable deals and that window is closing quickly. They’ll still be a very good team after, but they’re not going to have near as much flexibility in their roster.”
The new vision Oklahoma City laid out to Giddey was that bringing him off the bench was, as Presti later put it in a statement, “our best option to maximise his many talents and deploy our team more efficiently over 48 minutes”.
But the Thunder GM went on to add that it was “hard” for Giddey to “envision” that being his new role, so conversations quickly turned to the possibility of a trade.
And even before the trade was finalised, Bell said there was a moment “you could kind of see the writing on the wall”.
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THE ‘WRITING ON THE WALL’... AND STILL BEING ‘A GREAT TEAMMATE’
It was time for exit interviews and when Giddey went to sit down in front of the microphone, a lot was weighing on his mind.
There were points where was on the verge of tears, reflecting on a rollercoaster third season which included “days where you don’t feel like getting out of bed” and ended with him sitting on the bench in a Western Conference semifinals defeat to the Dallas Mavericks.
The question of his future at the Thunder was also brought up and Giddey was emphatic. He wanted to be in Oklahoma City long-term. But in the end, it just wasn’t meant to be.
“Nothing was decided, but when he came into his exit interview he was really emotional,” Bell said.
“He was really, really close with Jaylin Williams and when he (Jaylin) was talking about Josh, he got really emotional.
“So you could kind of see the writing on the wall.”
Throughout the whole process though, even as Giddey was benched in the Mavericks series, he never publicly admitted to having any issues with the demotion. Again, it was all about what was best for the team.
“Josh embodied not only saying the right things, but there was a genuine nature to it as well,” Crain said.
“You could tell that he truly wanted what was best for the team and he had accountability for the deficiencies he had. And to be honest, a lot of that was I think amplified by the fact that Dallas game planned a certain way for them.
“Before that series, Josh was known for being a postseason riser. Just a year before against the Pelicans in the play-in tournament, he was maybe their best player on the floor in a postseason setting.
“So, when I think back to Josh and his last games in Oklahoma City, I almost credit Dallas more for making it difficult on him than I fault Josh for having deficiencies.”
Giddey was team first even when benched. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
Giddey was team first even when benched. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Even in his exit interview, after the Thunder were eliminated by the Mavericks, Giddey said he made a “promise” to himself to be a “better teammate” after letting the disappointment of being benched get to him.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of vets, a lot of young guys, especially on this team and Josh Giddey is right up there with the most professional guys in the league,” Bell said.
“He never made things personal. He never pouted on the bench. He was always a great teammate to anybody that stepped in for him.”
And that team-first attitude is one of the biggest reasons why the Thunder are here in the NBA Finals.
You only have to look at the way they famously get around each other and sideline reporter Nick Gallo during his post-game interviews. Even Giddey was included in it after his first game for the Bulls against Oklahoma City.
That sort of culture is the type that isn’t built solely by a star player like Gilgeous-Alexander but by those around him, arms interlocked into post-game interviews.
Giddey was “a huge part” in setting that culture according to Bell.
“The reason why the Thunder are in this position is because they threw out the door all the personal success,” Bell added.
“I remember covering the All-Star game Josh’s rookie year, he was the only member of the Thunder that was even represented there. Then they go from that to it being Josh, Dub and Shai all there, and then Shai, Dub and Mark Daigneault there also.
“They care about each other more than they care about themselves and they know that the personal stuff will come along the way.”
HOW GIDDEY WILL BE REMEMBERED IN OKLAHOMA CITY
So, now that the Thunder are back, now that ‘Loud City’ is back, the next few weeks will all be about living in the moment and, potentially, celebrating a championship which could be just the start of an NBA dynasty.
And with so much to look forward to, both now and into the future, it’s unlikely any Oklahoma City fans will be spending much time thinking about the Josh Giddey experience.
The highs were incredible. The historic triple double. The inevitability of Giddey at Madison Square Garden. The lows were why he got benched, and eventually traded. The missed shots. The defensive flaws.
But if Thunder fans were to think back to where this rebuild started and the moment Adam Silver stepped onto the stage to read the sixth pick of the 2021 NBA draft, how will they remember Josh Giddey?
How will Giddey be remembered by Thunder fans? (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
How will Giddey be remembered by Thunder fans? (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
According to Crain, there will be “no bad blood”.
“I think everybody loved having Josh around and the general sentiment is Josh is no longer on this team, not because he wasn’t a fantastic player or not because he couldn’t fit Oklahoma City’s system,” he added.
“I think it’s a lot of the circumstances described earlier where the team individually and as a holistic roster was advancing very, very quickly and he was just a piece of the puzzle that, for the Thunder to maximise what they wanted to do in that moment, the opportunity to get a proven veteran in Alex Caruso that could be that piece and the experience to get over the hump was too much to pass up for a guy like Sam Presti.”
After all, one of the Thunder’s biggest heroes this postseason has been Caruso and if it wasn’t for Giddey, he may not be in Oklahoma City suffocating three-time MVP Nikola Jokic or hitting corner 3-pointers to stave off late Denver comebacks.
“Thunder fans know that Caruso is a huge part of this championship run,” said Bell.
“They know how good he is and the Thunder didn’t have to attach a draft pick to it, they didn’t have to attach other players to the trade. They traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso straight up.
“So that tells you just how much the Thunder value Josh Giddey, because they’re getting a really good player now with Caruso and that tells you just how much the Bulls value Josh Giddey because they gave up a really good, All-Defensive guy and they didn’t ask for anything else.
“Or maybe they did, but they didn’t get anything else. They didn’t hold the trade up.”
Because they knew how good Giddey could be. The Thunder did too. He just didn’t fit into what they were building anymore.
Which takes us back to another one of those Presti-isms, although this one is more of an analogy.
Giddey’s fit at the Thunder was problematic. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Giddey’s fit at the Thunder was problematic. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The topic of making a win-now move was brought up at the start of the 2023-24 season.
The Thunder were a team on the rise, having made a surprise play-in tournament appearance. They had a bucketload of draft picks. Nothing was stopping them from going all-in.
That is, except for the process. The very fabric of how Presti and Oklahoma City had built the foundations of a potential NBA powerhouse. One wrong move, one wrong decision, and it could all come undone.
So, to explain that point, Presti turned to an analogy he had used the year prior.
“We are open-minded, literally. But there’s a couple reasons why I think that particular topic is maybe not relevant right now,” Presti said.
“One, I used the example with the paint last year. You can’t buy the paint for your house that you haven’t actually bought. You don’t know where the house is. You don’t know where it’s situated. You don’t know what style it is. You don’t know how much paint you’ll need.
“So we don’t really know what we have right now.”
At the time, it was most relevant to Holmgren, who had not played a single game with the team after an injury-interrupted rookie season.
How could the Thunder make any significant moves without first knowing what they had, or didn’t have, in Holmgren?
They got their answer at the end of the year, going out and signing Hartenstein in free agency as an extra big to take the load off Holmgren’s shoulders.
But they also got their answer on Giddey and from that decision, as difficult as it may have been, the outcome could be an NBA championship.
There won’t be a championship ring for Giddey, nor should there be. But he will always be part of the Thunder story, even if he wasn’t there for the final chapter.