Josh Giddey needed just 24 minutes to notch up a near triple-double in a dominant display by both he and his Australian Boomers against Venezuela in the lead-up to the FIBA World Cup on Monday.
The Boomers dominated from the outset, taking a 27-16 lead in the first quarter before seriously putting on the brakes, conceding just 11 points in the next two quarters. Giddey was a major reason for their dominance.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star controlled the game like few others could, contributing 14 points on 5-7 shooting, eight rebounds and nine assists in just a tick over 24 minutes of game time. The match provided a big clue as to how coach Brian Goorjian plans to play in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, with Josh Giddey clearly set to play a prevailing role on the team.
Australia has a talented team going into the event and enter it with a legitimate chance to win, with a number of potential ball-handlers including Joe Ingles, Dante Exum and Patty Mills. But while they'll all no doubt play on-ball at times, Giddey is set to be the number one option for the team, and the warm-up game against Venezuela indicated as much.
Two seasons into his NBA career, the Australian has already established himself as a genuine young star at the top level, averaging 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists on a talented Thunder squad. At just 20 years of age, he is poised for a long career in the NBA, and will play a pivotal role for the Boomers both in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, and long into the future.