NBA Comparison: Joe Ingles

Strengths: Natural talented point guard with great size … Great feel for the game … Very high basketball I.Q … The kind of player that makes his teammates better … All around player, can do a little bit of everything on the floor and fill up the stat sheet … A triple-double threat when he enters the court … Has showed great potential as a lead guard playing as a teenager in a high level league … An elite passer … Has great court vision, can see angles and passes that few players can … At his best when he is running the break … Can pass over his defender thanks to his size … Almost always in control, rarely rushes his decisions … A Pick and Roll maestro thanks to his size and court vision … Can either find the rolling big, a 3rd man on the weakside, or a cutter from the baseline after he takes a pick … Plays the game at his own pace … He can attack the basket and finish with solid efficiency at the rim, and is a creative finisher … Ambidextrous, can finish plays at the rim with either hand … Has a nice, dependable floater in his arsenal when he attacks the basket… Has shown some promise as a Spot Up shooter … Smart defender… Knows how to take advantage of his size and length on defense… Very good at covering the passing lanes and making steals…

Weaknesses: Average athlete… Has a really thin frame, and needs to bulk up considerably … Lacks an elite burst on his first step … Not a great leaper … He might have problems creating separation at the next level because of his athletic limitations and be dependent upon screens to create shots, or make plays for his teammates … Has a slow shooting release and he also has the tendency to lean forward on Spot Up situations … Inconsistent shooter, can be called a streaky shooter at best for now in Spot Up situations … His percentage from the free throw line is worrisome (around 70%), but he is still young … Pull Up game isn’t there yet, he will have to add this to his game to become a bigger threat … A simple “under” coverage in Pick and Roll situations can limit him for now on offense despite his basketball I.Q and size … Has the tendency to become too passive on offense and unselfish to a fault some times … His lateral quickness is average and he doesn’t always have a good low stance on defense, which creates problems when guarding quick point guards … Depends too much on his length and instincts on defense… He might be best suited to guard wings than point guards, but he doesn’t have the build to do that yet.

Overall: Josh Giddey is an intriguing prospect. A rarity. A poing guard with high basketball I.Q and great size, an elite passer and a triple-double threat, with athletic and shooting limitations … Whether he will be able to improve the latter will probably determine if he can become an elite …

Stefanos Makris 6/22/21