Thunder draft pick Josh Giddey. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
Point guard Josh Giddey, the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA Draft, left his Oklahoma City Thunder debut in NBA Summer League with an ankle injury.
Josh Giddey’s NBA Summer League debut started with a slam. It ended in disappointment.
After only five minutes of action, the Australian who was just picked No. 6 overall in the NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder had to leave Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.
Giddey turned his ankle on a drive and was not able to return.
That’s not the way anyone wanted to see Giddey’s debut end.
Josh Giddey suffered an ankle sprain during his Summer League debut
The Thunder were ready to celebrate Giddey’s performance when he drove for a dunk early on.
That gave Oklahoma City fans plenty of reason to cheer on their new 6-foot-8 point guard.
Unfortunately, Giddey didn’t get to make more of an impression, finishing the game 1-for-3 with 2 points.
The Thunder described the injury as a left ankle sprain, per The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears. The severity of that sprain is unknown.
Giddey later celebrated OKC’s victory on Instagram.
Oklahoma City added Giddey with the No. 6 pick in the draft hoping to take advantage of his ability as a facilitator and playmaker. The 18-year-old made a name for himself in Australia’s NBL with a string of stellar performances resulting in triple-doubles. He was the league’s Rookie of the Year with 10.9 points, 7.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game while playing for Adelaide.
He can score. He can create. And he can rebound.
The concern for Thunder fans is whether he’ll be available to do those things for the rest of the Summer League schedule. OKC is scheduled to play New Orleans on Wednesday. It’ll be clearer then how much time Giddey will need to miss.