In a dominating win, Josh Giddey quickly proved why his head coach was justified for dubbing him the face of the program at just 20 years old.
Giddey headlined Australia’s lopsided 97-41 win over Venezuela in its first exhibition game. A 27-7 second-quarter scoring advantage helped put this game to bed. Australia entered halftime with a 54-23 lead that essentially turned the second half into garbage time.
The talent gap between teams was quickly evident. Giddey toyed with Venezuela using flashy thread-the-needle passes throughout the contest. In 24 minutes, he collected 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, nine assists and eight rebounds for the near triple-double. On the flip side, he also committed six turnovers as he was a bit more daring with his playmaking this game.
Fellow Oklahoma City Thunder player Jack White also appeared in this exhibition for Australia. In 16 minutes off the bench, he finished with four points and eight rebounds. He signed a two-year deal with OKC this offseason.
The full box for the Boomers can be viewed below:
Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Giddey’s Team Australia debut as they prepare to play in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.