In just under 24 hours the NBA World will have a chance to do their favorite thing: Overreact. Team Canada (1-0) is set to face off with Team Australia (1-0) in an important Group A clash. Pushing to 2-0 in what is being deemed the Group of Death, offers a huge leg up for the victors in their attempt to medal at the Paris games.
This is the SEC of Olympic Basketball – it just means more in Oklahoma City, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort battle with their teammate-turned-foe Josh Giddey.
The Thunder elected to ship Giddey to Chicago to open up the NBA offseason in a swap that netted the Bricktown boys Alex Caruso. The defensive ace who strokes the trey ball at a 40 percent clip fits like a glove in Oklahoma City and Giddey is now primed to participate in a more palatable system for his skillset in the windy city.
So as these two unbeaten squads go toe-to-toe, it is inevitable that both Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander will produce countless highlights along the way – all indications even point to the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft playing the best basketball of his career in this setting, but that has no barring on the decision Oklahoma City made to tip-off the Summer.
Giddey from this Olympics through his time with the Bulls will continue to improve and produce at a higher clip than he ever did with the Thunder – and ever was going to do – this is not a case of the Bricktown boys giving up on a young player prematurely, it is a classic fit issue with the only fix being a change of scenery.
As Giddey dominates in the Olympic stage, it isn’t time to retroactively grade the trade or swing your stance – he was never bound for this on-ball role in Bricktown. Watching as the 6-foot-8 guard dominates the ball, getting downhill to finish at the rim and put the ball in the ring was never going to be a reality with the Thunder.
Especially after the 21-year-old rejected a bench role with the Thunder in favor of a more prominent casting with his Eastern Conference squad.
Song of the Day: Song and Dance Man by Johnny Paycheck
Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
Alex Goodlett/Getty ImagesThe Dallas Mavericks are reeling after losing 115-113 to the Utah Jazz, who were last in the Western Conference entering Thursday.The
The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors get their first opportunity to show off their new look to
Motiejus KrivasCenter | ArizonaHeight: 7'2” | Weight: 260 lbs 2025 Draft Age: 20.57Mar 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA center Aday Mara (15) and
It’ll take more than two starts and 12 games — a small sample size in the scope of a season and a career — for a chance at a reset to morph int