Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder was easily one of the best and brightest rookies in the league last season.
With his 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists a game – and some record-breaking triple-doubles – Giddey was a blast of energy and excitement for OKC.
There were many people saying he should have been Rookie of the Year and for a moment it looked like he had a good chance.
Why is Josh Giddey playing summer league? He is way too good for that environment.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) July 7, 2022
So this is leading some to wonder why exactly he’s participating in the Summer League right now.
Sure enough, Giddey has been playing in the SL games, games that don’t count toward any win-loss ratio and don’t have any sort of impact on the upcoming season.
As Chris Fedor put it, “Why is Josh Giddey playing summer league? He is way too good for the environment.”
It’s a valid question and has two possible answers.
Giddey’s Still Good
Based on what we’ve seen from Giddey in the Summer League, the kid is still incredibly talented and likely the future of the team.
So why is he playing against a bunch of rookies?
Perhaps the Thunder are just making a bad choice and not thinking things through – it wouldn’t be the first time that happened.
Or perhaps the coaching staff is trying to use Giddey as a tool: maybe they want some of their players, such as exciting rookie Chet Holmgren, to play with one of the biggest stars of the team as a way to motivate and also educate.
Holmgren has the chance to be something really special and maybe the Thunder want to give him a lot of experience playing alongside someone who could be a close ally and teammate when the season starts.
There is another option: maybe Giddey just loves the game and wants to play in these Summer League games.
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