If there is one thing Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Josh Giddey proved during their win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, it's the fact that he doesn't need to score to impact winning.
Giddey, after all, registered zero point in the contest but did finish with a double-double of 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Such stat line is so absurd that the last time the NBA has seen it, it was way back 50 years ago in 1971.
The last player to do is Norm Van Lier of the then-Cincinnati Royals. Per Basketball Reference, Van Lier did it in a 146-112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers where he registered 11 rebounds and 13 assists without scoring a single bucket.
Josh Giddey with a stat line not seen in 50 years.
0 PTS
10 REB
10 ASTHe’s the first player with a double-double on zero points since Norm Van Lier in 1971.
(Submitted by @StevieCozens) pic.twitter.com/0yCWnFJY06
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 27, 2021
Josh Giddey's performance certainly reminds us of Draymond Green as well. While the two play different positions and are hard to compare, it's rare to see an NBA player today compile such ridiculous numbers while having little role in actually scoring the bucket.
For his part, it's always easy to remember Green's epic triple-double in rebounds, assists and blocks in 2017. He did score four points in the game, though thinking about it now, it would have been more epic had he scored zero as well.
Draymond Green: 12 reb, 10 ast & a franchise-record 10 stl. Warriors are now 18-0 in the regular season when Green tallies a triple-double.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) February 11, 2017
The Thunder have to be giddy having Josh Giddey in their roster. After all, the young point guard has not only catapulted himself to the Rookie of the Year conversation, but he has also shown Oklahoma City that he could very well be their PG of the future.
Follow Us
Subscribe