3. Josh Giddey, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
Josh Giddey’s placement on this list needs no justification, his resume speaks for itself. His scoring numbers do not pop off the page, but those will come in due time. Where Giddey has shined early on in his NBA career is his already elite passing.
The 19-year-old from Australia has 116 assists on the season, leading the way of the 2021 rookie class. No other rookie has crossed the 100 assists threshold. The player with the second-most assists is Davion Mitchell with 81 assists.
Impressively, Giddey is 22nd in the league among all guards in total assists. He ranks 20th in assists per game among guards in the NBA at 5.8 per game. He leads the Thunder in total and assists per game. He is the only player on the team with 100 or more assists.
Giddey is less than half a season into his NBA career and his passing numbers are already among the elite. While it is still extremely early on, Giddey seems poised to be a great passer in the NBA for at least the next decade. He also won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award, the first of what should be many NBA awards for the young Aussie.