Is Josh Giddey playing tonight against Spain? Latest on guard's availability
Josh Giddey and Australia open their 2024 Paris Olympics with a stern test against Spain in a Group A clash on Saturday, July 27. Known as the 'Group of Death', which includes Greece and Canada, both teams will hope to get off to a winning start. Much will depend on how their key stars fare in the marquee clash.
Apart from Giddey, Australia will bank on Patty Mills and Dyson Daniels to get them past Spain. Giddey made an impact against Team USA in the showcase game. He stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, including two brilliant inbound passes in the final seconds.
His efforts, though, went in vain as Australia fell short 98-92. He had a strong showing against Puerto Rico as well, tallying 19 points, four rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes. Now, the team will hope that their guard will have a similar showing against Spain who have beaten Australia in their last three meetings.
At the time of writing, Josh Giddey is expected to suit up for Australia at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium, in France. His name has not been listed in the injury report so far, making him one of the players available. The Chicago Bulls star has done well in the warm-up games, and now he will be looked at as a vital cog in the team's Olympics campaign after leading the team to four wins in their showcase games.
A look at Josh Giddey's availability
Come Saturday, he will be having New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels, and Miami Heat's Patty Mills as his teammates to get the side to a winning start. Only time will tell if Josh Giddey can continue the rich vein of form from the exhibition games.
Earlier this season, Giddey joined the Chicago Bulls after they traded Alex Caruso. to the OKC Thunder in a straight swap trade. The 21-year-old played with the Thunder for three seasons and was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Aussie had said he had not spoken to the coaches yet about what his role would be on the Bulls, considering they still have point guard Lonzo Ball and guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu crowding the backcourt.