Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Clemente Almanza

OKC Thunder news: Josh Giddey fails to finish top six in Rookie of the Year voting

The NBA announced the Rookie of the Year winner along with the top-six finishers in voting on Saturday and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey was notably left off the list.

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes ended up winning the award by 15 voting points. The top six went as followed:

  • Barnes at 378 points
  • Evan Mobley at 363 points
  • Cade Cunningham at 153 points
  • Jalen Green at three points
  • Franz Wagner at two points
  • Herb Jones at one point

The fact that Giddey didn’t make the list is pretty ridiculous. Even with him missing the final third of the season due to a hip injury, Giddey’s two-thirds of play were dominant enough that he warranted a top-six finish. Giddey won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month that he played in and four of the five times overall this season.

If it’s an availability issue as Giddey missed 28 games, it’s unfair to measure him against someone like Jones in terms of games played due to uneven minutes distributions. Despite playing 24 more games, Jones played just 68 total more minutes than Giddey this season

Giddey averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebound and 6.4 assists in 54 games this season. Giddey secured four triple doubles, which is tied for the seventh most amount for a rookie in league history.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.