Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey had his best outing yet Monday night under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, and it helped move the 19-year-old into the No. 3 spot on the Kia Rookie Ladder.
Giddey had a triple-double with a career-high 28 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds in OKC’s 127-123 overtime win against the Knicks.
“You hear so many things, so many stories about the Garden, and I had circled it on my calendar for a long time,” Giddey said, per ESPN. “This was the place I was most excited when I got drafted to come in to play.”
Monday’s triple-double was his second in as many games, making him the youngest player to record back-to-back triple-doubles in NBA history.
Giddey had 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against Chicago on Saturday in a loss to the Bulls.
The Aussie native is now in third place behind the Toronto Raptors Scottie Barnes in the No. 2 spot and Evan Mobley with the Cleveland Cavaliers at No.1.
Giddey will participate in the Clorox Rising Stars and the Taco Bells Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend.
First the #CloroxRisingStars, now the #TacoBellSkills!
🇦🇺 @joshgiddey is taking over #NBAAIIStar pic.twitter.com/57DMtzCq9B
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) February 9, 2022
Picked sixth in the 2021 Draft, the six-foot-eight Giddey is averaging 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists.
“The style he is playing with is contagious,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think he has a domino effect on the team with how he plays when he is in that state of mind. I thought he was in against Chicago, and I thought he was in it again tonight.”
The Thunder have struggled this season, sitting in the 14th spot in the Western Conference at 18-39.
Still, two of those wins were comebacks after being down against the LA Lakers.
Giddey, Shai Gildeous-Alexander, and the rest of the young Thunder team have shown a lot of promise despite their record.
The Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday at Paycom Center before breaking for All-Star Weekend.