Josh Giddey | Denver Nuggets Post-Game | Jan. 09, 2021
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00:00 - Paris Lawson, okasethunder.com.
00:03 Josh, obviously you guys got down big early in this one.
00:06 What did you feel shift after that first quarter
00:08 where you guys were able to start climbing back into this?
00:10 - Yeah, you know, obviously we came out slow.
00:13 They threw the first punch
00:14 and I think it took us a little while to get going.
00:15 But I think after that first time out,
00:17 I think for the rest of the, you know,
00:18 three and a half quarters,
00:19 I think, you know, we definitely could have won that game.
00:22 We put ourselves in the best chance to win it.
00:24 Our defense picked up.
00:25 I mean, they hit a lot of shots.
00:27 We missed a lot of shots early in that first quarter,
00:29 but after that we made everything contested.
00:30 We made life hard for them
00:31 and we got stops, got out and ran.
00:33 So I think after that first, you know, six minutes,
00:36 we looked good and I think for the rest of the game,
00:37 we played well.
00:39 But, you know, tonight was a night of, you know,
00:41 guy, two teams played well
00:42 and I think we came, unfortunately,
00:44 came out on the wrong end of it.
00:45 - Mark mentioned that you guys were able to really get
00:47 your physicality into the game on both ends of the floor
00:50 against a physical team like Denver.
00:52 Just what did that look like for you guys?
00:53 What were you looking,
00:54 how were you looking to get your physicality into the game?
00:56 - Yeah, obviously, yeah, they are a physical team
00:59 and, you know, we kind of spoke about this strength
01:01 and physicality and obviously as an older,
01:03 more experienced team,
01:03 they're going to be stronger than us,
01:04 but, you know, physicality is kind of a mindset thing
01:06 and being able to hit someone on a box out
01:08 or, you know, take a charge or something like that,
01:11 you know, it's a mindset thing.
01:12 I think after that first five or six minutes,
01:14 we kind of gained that mindset
01:15 and we started being physical.
01:17 We were good on the rebounds.
01:18 They had a bunch of overboard in that first half,
01:20 but we canceled that in the second half.
01:21 So, yeah, being physical is going to be big for us
01:23 as a younger, undersized team,
01:25 especially when we have that small ball lineup.
01:27 So we're going to have to, you know, compete,
01:29 put our bodies in the way of, you know,
01:30 bigger guys, stronger guys.
01:31 - Nick Gallo, KC Thunder.com.
01:35 Josh, the four rookies,
01:37 your rookie class combined for 38 points,
01:39 I think 18 assists, seven steals.
01:42 What's this been like for you?
01:43 I mean, to have four guys, all rookies,
01:46 to go toe to toe with a veteran team like that.
01:48 And what's that camaraderie like with you all?
01:51 - It's great.
01:52 You know, obviously being drafted here
01:53 was kind of a blessing for all of us.
01:55 You know, as a younger team,
01:55 we knew there was going to be opportunity from day one
01:57 and I think we've all grasped it,
01:59 all love, you know, love the team, love the city.
02:01 And you can kind of feel it when we're out on the floor.
02:04 You know, we all enjoy playing.
02:06 You know, there's no outside pressure from anyone,
02:07 the coaches, players, we're all young,
02:10 we're all still developing.
02:11 So, you know, it's great to go out there
02:13 and kind of play freely.
02:14 And I think those other guys feel the same.
02:15 And, you know, I love seeing them all succeed.
02:17 You know, Wicks, who was picked 55,
02:19 who, if he went to most teams,
02:21 probably wouldn't be starting, you know,
02:22 playing the minutes he is on our team.
02:24 So, you know, I'm just so happy for those guys
02:26 and love seeing them do well.
02:28 - And then there was one play in particular for you.
02:30 I'm not sure if it was intentional,
02:32 but instead of spacing all the way up to the corner,
02:35 you kind of hung out in that dunker spot,
02:36 short corner area, you got a really nice reverse layup.
02:39 Is that something that you're trying to kind of work in
02:41 to your game off the ball
02:43 to be able to exploit your size down low?
02:46 - Yeah, it is.
02:47 You know, just being ready when Shea's driving,
02:49 you know, a lot of eyes are on him at all times.
02:51 So trying to sneak behind my defender for back cuts
02:53 and, you know, cheap laps in that dunker spot.
02:55 You know, it's an easy way to get points.
02:57 It's an easy way to get on the board.
02:58 So, you know, if I need to get going, you know,
03:00 hanging around that dunker area is a good way to get going.
03:03 - Hey Josh, hope you're doing well.
03:12 Tonight we saw great balance on offensive end.
03:16 How, what type of growth for you is that balance?
03:19 Because everybody scored,
03:22 nobody scored more than 15 points tonight.
03:24 How could you explain that?
03:26 - Yeah, on a young team, you know,
03:30 there's going to be, you know, inconsistent nights from guys.
03:32 And I think you see within our team
03:34 that every night is a new guy stepping up
03:35 and that's the luxury of having such a young team.
03:38 There's always opportunity and, you know,
03:40 different guys grasp it every night.
03:42 So as you know, as you said, you know,
03:44 tonight we spread the scoring load around
03:46 and we got within, you know,
03:47 I think it was two or four points with them.
03:49 So, you know, we've got, I think,
03:51 guys off the bench that can contribute, you know,
03:53 just like our starters can.
03:54 So we go, we go a bit deep and, you know,
03:59 many guys can make plays on our team
04:00 and that's a luxury to have multiple ball handlers,
04:02 multiple playmakers that, you know,
04:04 the scoring load doesn't have to be heavy on one person.
04:07 We've got multiple guys that can, you know,
04:08 shoot, pass, dribble.
04:09 So, you know, it's something good we've got.
04:12 - Yeah, Josh, your three ball's been going down
04:19 a lot more recently.
04:21 I just wondered if that's just random
04:25 or if you feel like progress that you're making
04:28 or a shot selection.
04:29 I just wanted your thought process on that.
04:32 - Yeah, you know, obviously the three ball
04:34 was a big emphasis for me coming into the season.
04:36 I knew it was something I had to work on.
04:37 And I shot it great this year,
04:40 but, you know, staying in the gym with, you know,
04:43 Mike Wilkes, we've been shooting every day,
04:45 getting a lot of shots up.
04:46 But I think a lot of it is mental.
04:49 There was times last year when I couldn't make a shot
04:51 and it was all in my head.
04:53 I kept overthinking things, but now it's like,
04:55 miss a shot, I move on.
04:56 I put it in the past.
04:57 I make a shot, I put it in the past.
04:58 So I think a lot of it's a mindset thing for me,
05:02 but yeah, you know, you can only do so much with mechanics
05:04 and you can get as many shots up if you want,
05:06 but if you're not confident shooting the ball,
05:07 then you may as well not shoot it.
05:09 So yeah, confidence is a big key for me.
05:11 - Yeah, Josh, most of you guys who reached the NBA
05:17 have been very successful and have won a lot.
05:19 When the team in the NBA goes through rebuilding,
05:22 there's, you know, there's long stretches of losing.
05:25 What kind of things have you done
05:26 to make sure that the losing stretches don't get you down,
05:30 don't get you in bad habits, bad attitudes,
05:32 all those kinds of things?
05:34 - Yeah, you know, we understand as a young team
05:36 and a rebuilding team that there's going to be stretches
05:38 where we lose games and, you know,
05:40 there's nights like tonight where we're riding the game.
05:42 There's been nights where we're riding the game
05:43 and we just come out of the wrong end of it.
05:45 And I think, you know, with experience
05:46 and learning from those games,
05:48 that's when, you know, two, three, four years from now,
05:50 you can, in those late game situations,
05:52 you understand how to come out with a, you know, a win.
05:55 Obviously Denver's a lot more experienced than we are,
05:57 and they kind of showed that down the stretch tonight.
05:59 But, you know, the morale's high within the group.
06:01 Win, lose, or loss.
06:02 Win, lose, or draw, sorry.
06:03 We always come into the practice facility
06:05 and, you know, it's a new day.
06:07 You know, we don't dwell on a loss, don't dwell on a win.
06:10 You know, it's a great place to be in, you know,
06:12 at our trainings and stuff like that,
06:13 because, you know, no one dwells on the past.
06:16 So morale's always high within the group,
06:18 no matter what's happened, you know, the night before.
06:21 -Thank you, guys. -Thanks, guys.