Three thoughts from the FIBA World Cup:
The Thunder's core players went deep into the competition in Manila
The FIBA World Cup does not carry the same sort of importance or stature that it’s football counterpart does but that should not diminish the importance of the competition. The World Cup is highly competitive, each nation is determined to prove that their country is the best in the world.
The Thunder’s interest in the World Cup spanned three countries, Australia, Canada and Latvia. The Thunder front office would have been pleased to see Josh Giddey perform so strongly with the Boomers despite their exit in the second group stage.
The same goes for the Canadian national team, you have to imagine that Sam Presti was very happy watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead his country to a third place finish and a bronze medal.
The Growth of Giddey:
Josh Giddey showed huge growth in his sophomore season in the league and that development continued into international competition. Giddey stepped up as a leader for the Boomers and provided valuable shot creation for a team lacking in playmaking. Australia’s strength has typically come from their veterans, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, but both players are ageing and there was a question about whether the next generation of Aussie basketball could carry that mantle.
In the first group game against Finland, Giddey had an all-around performance of 14 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. It was a hugely impressive performance in what was Josh’s first game of FIBA basketball. He did not seem fazed by the narrow courts or lack of space, in fact I would argue that is where Giddey’s innate feel for the game showed the most.
He showed an uncanny ability to snag crucial rebounds in traffic or find just enough space in the non-painted area to drain a timely floater. Giddey’s situational awareness in providing what his teammates needed was quite impressive.
The second round game against Slovenia was the best example of Giddey’s game awareness. The Boomers were down big at the break and badly needed an offensive burst from one of their star players to keep the game alive.
Josh’s response was nothing short of exceptional, Giddey scored 17 points after halftime and matched Luka Doncic blow for blow. All of his points came below the three-point arc and he was frankly unstoppable off the drive.
Giddey consistently beat the defense by moving from fast to slow. His stuttering first step meant that the defense struggled to work him out as that first step allows Giddey to disguise his acceleration and give the opposing team a different look every single time down the floor.
I was mightily impressed with Josh Giddey’s game and cannot wait to see what he looks like in his third season in the league.
Lu Dort’s Mixed Bag:
Luguentz Dort is somewhat of a polarising figure within the Thunder fanbase at the moment. There are some who think that Dort has a limited ceiling and his shot-happy tendencies mean that he is not an ideal fit next to Giddey and SGA. There are others who point to Dort’s recent postseason performances and argue that he is a player that is worth keeping.
The truth lies somewhere in between those two viewpoints. Luguentz is tough, aggressive defensive player whose offensive game is unpolished and inconsistent. His performances for Canada would agree with that statement.
The Dort-Brooks tandem on the wings played a huge part in taking Canada deep into to the competition. Lu’s tireless energy in pressing the full length of the court did not allow the opposing team a moment to compose themselves. From the moment the ball was inbounded, Dort was hounding his target and bothering them into errors.
It is a thankless task that often brings little reward statistically, Dort finished the tournament averaging just 1.2 steals per game, but his role was vital for the Canadian national team. His ball pressure meant quick, efficient offensive possessions were few and far between for the opponent.
Starting a possession at seventeen seconds and starting a possession at ten seconds come with different level of pressures. In a ten second possession, the offensive team does not have the time to cycle through their options, looking for the best available option. Ten second possessions require faultless execution to get a basket and are less comfortable than a seventeen second possession.
Dort forces the opposing team into short, high-pressure shot clocks and slowly grinds them down. Dort’s pressure disorientates the ball-handler and creates mistakes that eventually become easy transition scores for his teammates. Oklahoma City were nothing short of excellent in transition last season and it was the same story for Team Canada.
On the other hand, Lu’s inconsistent offense did make it difficult for Jordi Fernandez to play him at times. Dort shot 37% from the field and 34% from downtown. He was putrid attacking the basket and wasted too many looks inside.
The concern is that the game has not slowed down yet for Dort when he drives to the basket. Luguentz is still barrelling into the paint without necessarily thinking about how to finish once he gets to the basket. Dort’s inside finishing is a beat or two off the rhythm of his game but that small difference is enough to tank his shooting percentages.
In 2020-21, we saw Hamidou Diallo eventually figure out how to get baskets inside and that added driving game made Hami a more potent force on offense. That improvement in his game came in Diallo’s third season in the league when he was just 22 years old. Lu Dort will be going into fifth season with the Thunder, is 24 years old and we are still waiting for that aspect of his development to come around.
Dort’s long-term fit with the Thunder remains questionable until he can become a league average finisher inside. Once that happens, Dort would then be a genuine two-way player on both ends of the floor.
Gilgeous-Alexander continues his ascent to superstardom:
Shai’s performances at the World Cup were jaw-dropping and the young Canadian guard took another step in his development as a basketball player. Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada from the front with a string of highly efficient, impactful games where he proved he was the best player on the floor.
Before the start of the tournament, there was a lot of discussion about who the best player in the World Cup was. The discussion was largely centred around three candidates, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Doncic was widely viewed as the favourite due to his previous successes with Slovenia at international level but Gilgeous-Alexander was not too far behind.
The question attached to Shai related to his decision-making when Gilgeous-Alexander faced doubles from the opposing team. As we saw last season, aggressively trapping Shai at mid-court gets the ball out of his hands and makes him a more passive option.
On the Thunder, he had teammates who could share the load and maximise secondary playmaking opportunities. He did not have the same luxury with Team Canada. Jamal Murray and Andrew Nembhard did not make the trip to the Far East.
Coach Jordi Fernandez played a starting lineup which prioritised physicality but was deficient in playmaking. Gilgeous-Alexander was the only player in the starting lineup who could reliably generate looks for his teammates. The Canadian national team needed Gilgeous-Alexander to make an impact even when he faced aggressive ball pressure.
Shai more than met that requirement as he averaged 6.4 assists per game with just 1.4 turnovers per game. Gilgeous-Alexander’s patient, well-timed kickout passes cut the opposing team apart and got the likes of Dillon Brooks wide open looks. He made everyone better, that is all you can ask from your starting point guard.
Shai’s calm, measured temperament stood him apart from the competition. In a tightly contested, hard-fought game against Slovenia, SGA stayed out of foul trouble and put himself in a position to put the game away.
The same cannot be said for his counterpart, Luka Doncic. Doncic played incredibly well but his propensity to argue with the referees and take possessions off to labour his point detracted from Slovenia’s effort.
The constant jabbering in the referees’ ears eventually led to his ejection from the game and Slovenia was left in the fourth quarter facing a double digit lead without their star man.
Gilgeous-Alexander outplayed Doncic and then proceeded to outplay Anthony Edwards as well on Sunday. Edwards finished the game with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists but it was an erratic performance from the Timberwolves’ wing. Too often, Ant drove into traffic to make a play without fully understanding what he was going to do with the basketball.
In contrast, Gilgeous-Alexander controlled Canada’s offense to perfection. Shai recognised the double early in the game and focused on finding the hot hand, Dillon Brooks. When a favourable match-up appeared, Shai attacked inside and found easy looks at the rim against a non-existent interior defense.
In the bronze medal game, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points and 12 assists 55% shooting from the field. He dominated the Americans and made the likes of Austin Reaves look out of their depth.
Before this summer, the talk of SGA being a future MVP seemed a little distant. To win MVP, a player has to have cultural relevance on a national stage. Throughout this tournament, we have heard well-respected media members talk about Shai reverentially. You watch any of the games he played and it’s clear that his game has got a sprinkling of stardust.
If the Thunder win 50 games next season and Shai averages anything close to what he did last season, I would expect to see him in the MVP conversation. He would have the stats, team success and narrative to make a compelling case for the greatest regular season honour in basketball.