Entering the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to receive praise for the bright future.
The blossoming of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a superstar and the young core of Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey has made the Thunder a national media darling.
It looks like those around the league might have a similar opinion, too. The Thunder were recently the heavy favorite when executives were asked who has the most promising young core.
In another NBA executive poll, Giddey received votes as a potential breakout candidate for the 2023-24 season. HoopsHype polled 25 NBA executives to determine who will be the top breakout candidates this season. Each executive listed their top three players.
Giddey received 4% of votes. The 21-year-old is set to start his third season after averaging 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists in his first two seasons.
“Thunder guard Josh Giddey took a major step last season offensively by increasing his scoring (12.5 to 16.6) and improved as a shooter across the board from the field (.419 to .482), three-point line (.263 to .325) and foul line (.709 to .731).
If Oklahoma City is going to become a playoff team and avoid the play-in tournament again, Giddey will have to take another step forward in his development.”
Considering he’s entering his third season and showed signs of improvement during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Giddey is a dark-horse candidate to break out this season.
If that happens, the Thunder’s decision to negotiate a contract extension when Giddey is eligible after the season becomes much easier.
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