Prospect Josh Giddey credits Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle for advice
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The NBA draft is a time for the next wave of young prospects to come in and make their impact on the league. It is a time when dreams come true for a lot of young players.
In order to prep for this moment, there is a lot of work to be done such as pre-draft workouts and interviews as well as looking to get some advice from players who are already in the league.
For Australian native Josh Giddey, he turned to two members of the Philadelphia 76ers: fellow Australians Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle.
Giddey joined The Athletic and The Stadium’s Shams Charania and said this about his relationship with Simmons:
Ben’s obviously a superstar talent, and we haven’t spoke, we spoke a little bit here and there, but I’m praying, fingers crossed that going forward he’s young, I’m young, that we can lead this next crop of Australian players at World Cups and Olympic games. Ben’s obviously a superstar talent and Australia, obviously wants him to play, and I think we all do and as we all know, he’s going through stuff right now so no one’s, we’re not hating on him for not for not playing. I think all the guys are supporting him and completely getting around him and understanding the situation. Hopefully in the next year or two, me and Ben could be teammates on the Australian team.
Projected Draft Lottery pick Josh Giddey sits down with @Stadium: “An advantage over other guards…I can see things unfold before they do.” Joining LaMelo Ball as NBL Next Stars-to-NBA, Ben Simmons, his uncanny passing ability, obsession with shoes, more. pic.twitter.com/Owtm1L4ddh
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 26, 2021
Then there is Thybulle who Giddey had a chance to work out with the Boomers before the Olympics and he talked to Rookie Wire’s Cody Taylor about Thybulle:
I’ve been in that position, not in the NBA, but in the NBL, I had a slow start to the year. It took me a little while to find my feet but it’s about staying with it. You learn from vets on the team that they’ll help you and guide you through those tough times. A lot of rookies go through it. I had Josh Green and Matisse Thybulle on the team, two of the younger guys and new to the NBA, so to be able to hear from their experiences and what they went through as a rookie, it is good for me to take that and keep it in the back of my mind going into my rookie year.
Giddey was impressive in the NBL averaging 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games last season with the Adelaide 36ers. He led all players in the NBL in assists, while he finished sixth in rebounding. He registered three triple-doubles and was the youngest Australian to accomplish the feat. He is a projected lottery pick in Thursday’s draft and he can be one of the top players in this draft if he continues to work on his game.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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