Josh Giddey's 3-point Resurgence Coming at the Perfect Time

After cooling off from his efficient 3-point stretch in January, Josh Giddey is rediscovering his long range jumper. With the playoffs on deck, just a few weeks away, his shooting resurgence couldn’t come at a better time.

Giddey drilled three triples in Sunday night’s win over the Portland Trailblazers, and the Thunder needed every single one. His timely, deep 3-pointer from the wing gave Oklahoma City the momentum it needed to come out on top.

After his big night in Portland, Oklahoma City’s point guard has now recorded multiple makes from downtown in three consecutive games. He’s made at least one triple in 11 of the team’s last 12 games, and not all of them were wide-open set shots. He’s had to make tough 3-pointers off the dribble, too.

With Lu Dort’s rough stretch of shooting, spacing on the floor has become nonexistent in Oklahoma City. Isaiah Joe is one of the only outside threats the Thunder can put on the floor, and the offense is struggling because of it. Giddey, however, is starting to take advantage of that, as he’s been a big beneficiary of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s kick out drives. His outside shot is causing defense’s to start paying attention to him beyond the 3-point line, and on a team with little-to-no spacing, his recent stretch has been a life saver.

The 20-year old distributor has improved his outside shot by leaps and bounds in just one offseason. While it might not seem like a dramatic improvement, Giddey is shooting 32.4% from distance this season. Just a season ago, he finished his rookie campaign at 26.3% from long range.

Giddey’s resurgence from downtown will be crucial to Oklahoma City’s playoff run. If he can shoot from the outside with confidence and consistency, the Thunder could continue to make noise.

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