OKC Thunder Mailbag: How will the Thunder defend Josh Giddey?

One of the most anticipated games of the Oklahoma City Thunder During their 2024-25 campaign, they will be up against the The Chicago Bulls. Not because it will be two very famous teams or two bitter rivals facing each other, but it will mark Josh Giddeyfirst action against his former team.

Giddey’s departure this summer was the first real heartbreak for this iteration of the Thunder. The 21-year-old was considered a franchise mainstay during his first two seasons before a demotion made him an awkward candidate last year.

Just 18 months ago, Giddey might have been OKC’s second-best player. A season later, he was fired because he refused to come off the bench the following season. That’s life in the NBA. It’s unfair to ask a 21-year-old to make so many sacrifices when he’s on the verge of a promising contract extension.

Now with the Bulls, Giddey returns to his primary role as a point guard. A role he played particularly well during his first two years. He will face the Thunder on October 26 and March 31. When the schedule was released, the 21-year-old probably circled those two dates in red. After all, it’s only natural to want to show off against your former team.

How the Thunder defends Giddey will be an interesting storyline in both games. In a heavy dose of irony, they could take the cross-match route by putting their worst defender on Giddey and challenging him to shoot from the outside by giving him plenty of space.

After all, it is the technique that The Dallas Mavericks The Thunder attacked OKC in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. It worked as Giddey’s playing time declined throughout the series and he ended up being benched for the final two games. In doing so, the Thunder would admit that last year’s underdogs’ concerns about his inability to shoot the ball were well-founded.

That would be the more fun route to take. Instead, the Thunder will likely deploy the same defensive game plan against Giddey that Canada used in the 2024 Olympics. Expect Lu Dort to look for opponents and to press him as soon as he touches the ball.

When Giddey heads to the basket, Chet Holmgren will likely look to block his former teammate. Those blocks are more likely to go viral online than force the 21-year-old to delay his drive to the basket. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also hopes to be able to sting and steal the ball from him for similar reasons.

The Thunder will likely have extra motivation against Giddey in a competitive setting. They’ll likely want to prove something against him in a light-hearted way. That could give OKC some extra juice for a game they might otherwise sleepwalk through.

How the Thunder defends Giddey will be a fun storyline for the upcoming season. It won’t impact the standings, but for the purposes of the soap opera, it’s must-see TV.

This article was originally published on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder Mailbag: How Will the Thunder Defend Josh Giddey?