Averaging close to a triple-double per game! The current Gidi, the next Harden?

Let’s look at a statistic first. So far this season, the NBA has produced a total of 29 triple-doubles, of which Jokic has scored 9 times alone, ranking first in the league.

So, who is the player with the second most triple-doubles?

Those who pay a little attention to Bulls games should not have a hard time guessing the answer - Josh Guidi.

In the Bulls' last game, they narrowly defeated the Wizards 121-120 at home. In this game, Gidi played for 34 minutes. He made 5 of 12 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, and 6 of 7 free throws. He scored 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also had 3 blocks and 1 steal, with a plus-minus value of +3.

This is Gidi's fourth triple-double this season. The previous three were:

- Against the Knicks, 23 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.

- Against the 76ers, 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists.

- Against the Jazz, 26 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.

What is the general concept?

Before this season, Gidi played a total of 280 games and had a total of 18 triple-doubles (accounting for 6.4%); this season has only played 14 games, and he has already had 4 triple-doubles (accounting for 28.6%). If he keeps it up, it is possible that one year will surpass the total number of triple-doubles in the past four years.

And, at the age of 23, Gidi has already scored 22 triple-doubles in his career. This number can rank 24th in NBA history. It only takes 4 more games to tie Jordan, and 11 more games to squeeze into the top 15 in history.

It sounds a bit crazy, but it is really not impossible for Gidi, because he is almost averaging a triple-double this season.

In the 14 games he has played so far, Gidi has averaged 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game. All three statistics are career highs, and he ranks third in the league in assists, second only to Jokic and Cunningham (both of whom were among the top five MVPs in the previous period).

For comparison, Gidi last season: played 70 games for the Bulls, averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game.

There were actually signs of Gidi's outbreak last season. In the last 19 games, Gidi averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 50.0%/45.7%/80.9% and a true shooting percentage of 62.0%.

During the period, Gidi also delivered a super masterpiece: against the Lakers, he scored 24 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, and at the last moment he sent a half-court buzzer-beater that was the second longest in NBA history.

This season, Gidi has continued his all-around performance at the end of last season. He is expected to become the fourth player in NBA history to average a triple-double after Oscar Robertson, Westbrook (4 times), and Jokic.

The amazing thing is not just "averaging a triple-double per game", but Guidi's ability has really improved a lot compared to two years ago, and the most direct one is probably three-pointers.

At the beginning of this season, Gidi's three-point shooting percentage once exceeded 45%. It has declined recently and remains at 38.6%, a career high.

For comparison, Gidi's three-point shooting percentages in the first four years after entering the NBA were: 26.3%, 32.5%, 33.7%, and 37.8%, with steady improvement every year.

Thunder fans will never forget that in the second round of the 2024 playoffs against the Mavericks, Gidi was once targeted and unable to play because he had no shooting. Now, although his three-pointers are not particularly good and his production is not enough, at least his shooting percentage and shooting confidence have improved a lot.

However, there is still room for improvement in Gidi's offense. First, the efficiency can be even better, including finishing ability, three-pointers, and free throws (the number of shots shot has skyrocketed this season, but the shooting rate is the lowest in the past three years). Second, Gidi still lacks hard solutions. He may be a scorer averaging 20+ per game, but he is not really a player who is good at offense.

With that said, you might as well review the deal in 2024: the Thunder sent Gidi to the Bulls Caruso.

This deal is definitely a win-win now. The Thunder won the championship after getting Caruso, and the Bulls got the core of reconstruction for the next 5-10 years.

But objectively speaking, just talking about Gidi and Caruso, it is obvious that Gidi is a player with a higher ceiling. He has made great progress this season and is expected to be elected as the Most Improved Player and an All-Star.

Gidi's transformation will be somewhat reminiscent of the Harden trade, when Harden also became an All-Star, superstar and MVP after leaving the Thunder.

The difference is that the Kevin Martin the Thunder acquired at the time did not help the Thunder win the championship - if Kevin Martin helped the Thunder win the championship that year, or if Caruso failed to help the Thunder win the championship last season, perhaps the evaluation of the two transactions would be completely different.

Returning to Gidi, the current Gidi is definitely not as good as Harden, but don’t forget that he is only 23 years old and is already on the road to averaging a triple-double per game. If he keeps it up this season, he will almost certainly usher in the first All-Star and is expected to lead the Bulls back to the playoffs.

The growth of young players is sometimes impressive. For example, before this season, who would have thought that Maxi could play so well? I hope to see Jidi continue to improve in the future. Whampoa Military Academy is well-deserved.