Josh Giddey: Back to old ways?

There is good reason why Giddey’s first triple-double of the season should be seen as encouraging.

While his latest effort may be Giddey’s first of the season and for the Bulls, it is notably the 12th in the NBA leading some to believe that the Australian is returning to the kind of potential that first inspired the Bulls to trade for him in the first place.

On 26 April 2021, Giddey, then a rookie, became the youngest Australian in NBL history to record a triple-double after achieving 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the New Zealand Breakers.

In the Adelaide 36ers’ next match against Brisbane Bullets on 1 May, he became the first-ever Australian to record a triple-double in consecutive games, finishing with 15 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.

Giddey’s record-breaking performances were only topped by their timing, with the then-rising star declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft on 27 April. This only helped his stock as he was ultimately selected with the number six pick by the Thunder.

Eight months after his historic triple-doubles in the NBL, Giddey clinched an NBA record, becoming the youngest-ever player to record a triple-double in league history, breaking the record previously held by LaMelo Ball. Giddey registered 17 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds in a 95-86 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks.

His rookie year was topped by another triple-double record footnote with Giddey becoming the first league newcomer since Oscar Robertson in 1961 to record three consecutive triple-doubles.

Three NBA seasons may have passed since those records, but the proof is there that once he gets going he can be productive with momentum. Certainly, the Bulls will be hoping the Aussie’s most recent triple-double is a sign that he’s tapping into a younger, more aggressive energy and that better things are to come.