At just 20 years old, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey has quickly become the face of his country’s basketball program.
Australia and Giddey continue to prepare for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Looking at the roster, it’s one of the more loaded groups of players throughout the entire international tournament.
At the head of it is Giddey, who is expected to be the face of the team after not playing for the Olympics team in 2020. In an interview with ESPN, Australia head coach Brian Goorjian talked about how Giddey will be the main ballhandler for them during the World Cup.
“‘One of the decisions made: when he’s on the floor, we’re gonna put the ball in his hands a lot,’ Goorjian told ESPN, as his team prepares for the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the end of August.
‘He’s a huge piece of this moving forward. Not just this, but it’s like an Andrew Gaze, as far as the Boomers. What he is, and as we get him with the group, and as it expands, a lot of it’s gotta be built around him.'”
As Giddey continues to grow as an NBA player with two impressive seasons under his belt, he will likely also be the face of Australian basketball for the foreseeable future.
