As the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away from the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 4, an unlikely hero emerged as the co-closer: Josh Giddey’s outside shooting.
The 21-year-old scored nine points all on made 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to complete OKC’s series sweep. After working countless hours over the years, Giddey enjoyed the fruit of his labor with his outside shot.
Entering the league, Giddey’s biggest weakness was his shot. It was evident he needed to turn into a respectable outside shooter to be a positive contributor.
The Thunder saw this, too, and hired away shooting guru Chip Engelland from the San Antonio Spurs in the 2022 offseason. His main assignment in his two years with OKC has been to work with Giddey.
All things considered, the Thunder have had a nice return on investment from Engelland’s addition. Giddey has shot 33% from 3 on 3.1 attempts in two seasons since. This is a high mark of improvement considering what he was thought of before Engelland’s arrival.
Giddey discussed his relationship with Engelland as the Thunder await their Round 2 opponent. He credited the assistant coach for working countless hours with him over the years.
“We talk every day. We’re in here together every day. If he’s not here, we’re texting and calling,” Giddey said. “He’s been great. He’s told me he’s proud of me. … I love that guy. We’ve spent a lot of time together these last two years.”
Giddey needed to become a league-average shooter to unlock his game and over the last couple of months, that’s been the case. If he can continue to shoot the outside ball at a decent clip, he’ll be a massive contributor to a possible deep playoff run by the Thunder.
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