Oklahoma City Thunder’s wonder rookie Josh Giddey is done for the remainder of the 2021-2022 season due to hip soreness, coach Mark Daigneault announced (h/t team insider Rylan Stiles).
Daigneault emphasized that Giddey’s injury is a tricky yet, less unpredictable one. Nevertheless, the fact that the first-year pro had no hip issues from the past is already enough to call it quits in a long-term viewpoint.
“It’s a tricky injury that’s a little unpredictable,” Daigneault said.
“I would not say it met or didn’t meet an expectation. We didn’t really have an expectation.”
The Australian sensation has been on the sidelines since late February because of the said injury.
Giddey will end his rookie season with an average of 12.5 points in almost 42 percent efficiency, 7.8 boards, and 6.4 assists. He had plenty of breakout games fortifying his potential in becoming a future star of the league, wherein he became the youngest player in NBA history to have a triple-double, surpassing Lonzo Ball with 17 points, 14 assists, and 13 rebounds in a 95–86 defeat against the Dallas Mavericks. Also, he is the second player in league history after Norm Van Lier to tally a scoreless double-double after etching ten dimes and ten rebounds in his team’s 117-112 victory over New Orleans Pelicans.
Giddey, who was named as the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in the months of November, December, January, and February, has also a good shot to claim the Rookie of the Year honors to go with Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley.
