When my daughter played collegiate basketball back a few years ago she had four fellow teammates from Australia that played on her team up at the University at Buffalo. That team and my daughter made an amazing run to the Sweet 16 of the 2018 Women’s NCAA tournament that year.
Part of that success was because of the talented Australian players on that team. Their hard work and efforts made a difference.
Now, the Cleveland Cavaliers and/or other NBA teams will have an opportunity to take a new young, talented Australian in the 2021 NBA Draft on July 29. That player, Josh Giddey, who stands at 6-foot-8 and has been playing point guard most recently for the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) will now likely be drafted as another potential star in the NBA.
Only 18 years old currently, Giddy has impressed many with his skill sets and massive upside and ceiling. Some projections have him going as high as #5 in the draft, while most others have him being selected anywhere from #10-25 in the draft. What jumps out immediately when you watch tape on Giddy is his uncanny abilities with passing and getting his teammates open off his passes.
There are currently several NBA players from Australia. Probably the most notable is the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons. For Cavalier fans, our favorite Australian is Matthew Dellavedova. Dellavedova was part of the Cavs too back in 2016 when they won the NBA title.
So having the chance to study this new and rising star from Australia was a lot of fun.
I realize that the Cavs are pretty set at the starting guard spots with Darius Garland, who had a bounce-back Year 2, and Collin Sexton, but I think it would be very interesting if they brought in a young and gifted player like Giddey.
That’d be to feasibly make an impact as a key playmaker off the bench. If for no other reason, he’s probably one of the most talented all-around players in this year’s draft. Giddey just earned the Rookie of the Year Award from the NBL for his play there this past season.
So with that said, let’s examine how Giddey could fit in with the Cavs.
First, we’ll take a closer look at the offensive end.
How Giddey’s passing could help the Cavs
When you start to watch tape on Giddey it’s his passing skills that are off the charts for such a young player, an almost LeBron James-like knack for the game.
Giddey’s feel for the game is top notch. He routinely can drive, and kick passes out to the wings. He has a great ability to find players open down along the baseline when he’s handing the ball near the top of the key.
The most impressive passes, and the most dangerous, if you don’t know how to make them, are the skip passes across the defense, and Giddey makes these regularly.
As a basketball coach I’ve always talked about moving the ball and skipping the ball over the top and forcing the defense out of position. Giddey can do this on command, and the weakside defense is out of position nearly ever time on tape.
Giddey finished his brief 28-game stint in the NBL by averaging almost 8 assists a game. Wow! If the Cavs are seeking to move the ball more on offense next season, as one would assume they will be, I’d select Giddey in the 2021 NBA Draft simply on those conditions alone.
Cavs draft: Examining the other aspects of Giddey’s offense
Giddey averaged just under 11 points a game in his NBL play. His shooting can be suspect, especially from deep where some of those little things, like his footwork on the shot are a little off. But he plays downhill a lot and when gets to the basket or is within a short distance to the hoop he has a nice soft touch on his shots.
Giddey likes to pass first, so in time, I believe his offensive skills will improve. He can use player screens and pick-and-rolls well and has a good degree of creativity with that part of his game.
When playing point, and with his taller size and can see many times over his smaller opponents guarding him, which also allows him to find players open off his passes, especially in transition.
He’s very good at adjusting his pace of play during a game which is a real advantage with his height at the point.
His ball handling is suspect at this point, mostly due to his taller size but he likes to create opportunities off his crossover dribbles, especially from his left to his right hand.
Cavs draft: Examining Giddey’s defensive outlook
This area is where Giddey needs the most work. He’s pretty slow at this point, especially with his lateral movement and his opponents can many times get by him because he is slow.
With that height though he can block shots. He had 30 of them in this past league play in the NBL. But he doesn’t bend his knees well enough yet in defensive positioning and that could be a sticky point for some NBA teams.
The Cavs obviously need to play better defense next season. Giddey certainly would add some flare to the offense, particularly with those amazing passes, but would it be enough to draft him?
If he were available for the Cavs, would I take him?
I would in a heartbeat. I think the passing abilities and Giddey’s feel for the game are above what we currently have with some of our Cavalier players. The ceiling is very high for Giddey and the rest of his game will improve with time.
So then the question many frustrated Cavs fans will share is how much time are we going to be in a rebuild if we take another talented, but very young player, with the fact that we already have a very young core of players?
I think what the Cavaliers management needs to be looking at more is bringing in talented players that will win eventually at this point. I think they are doing that already and by bringing another, almost guaranteed star in the league will only enhance that consistency that the Cavs need to get too.
As I mentioned at the start, Australian players, like the ones that helped the University at Buffalo and my daughter reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament a few years back, are just built to be team players and usually bring success. That’s why we love current Cavalier, Matthew Dellavedova!
The Cavaliers potentially taking Giddey in the 2021 NBA Draft could draw a few raised eyebrows and rolling eyes by some fans, but it would be a good selection, and even more so with Cleveland’s backup playmaking needs, with Delly getting up there and not seemingly likely back.
And more generally, Cleveland needs more talent to win again and Giddy would fit the bill for sure.