Thunder in the news: McDermott benefit from cap space
The OKC Thunder have tough decisions to make this off-season, yet Doug McDermott may benefit from this.
The OKC Thunder have huge decisions to make in the off-season. They have important free agents to consider re-signing in Taj Gibson and Andre Roberson. If only one of these players returns, Doug McDermott may see his role rise with the team.
McDermott’s possible payday
The Thunder need to think about insurance due to their salary and talent cap issues from this year. Doug McDermott is that insurance. With one year left on his contract, McDermott may see more court time. He could possibly play his way to a big contract somewhere else next season.
Joshua Broom of welcometoloudcity.com noted McDermott, may benefit from Oklahoma City’s salary cap situation. This is despite his poor production since he joined the club via trade.
"Entering a summer of financial strain, McDermott has one economical year remaining on his existing contract. By virtue of this, McDermott’s future role with OKC might expand as the team could lose both Andre Roberson and Jerami Grant during the off-season.If this scenario were to unfold, McDermott would likely assume starting responsibilities at the three.However, unless McDermott improves defensively, in terms of Net value, increased minutes for the former Creighton star would represent a stark downgrade from what Roberson offers.Ultimately, McDermott’s sub-plot within Oklahoma City’s larger salary-cap frame work will be an interesting summer development for Thunder Nation."
Full article: Oklahoma City Thunder player grades: Doug McDermott may benefit from OKC’s maxed salary cap – welcometoloudcity.com
Adams ranked third in players from down under
Last season there were nine players to play in NBA from Australia and New Zealand. A recent ESPN article ranked Steven Adams as having the third best regular season of any of them,
The team lost Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka at the end of last season, forcing Adams to step up.
James McKern of ESPN noted that Adams had a rise in all statistical categories. He was also pivotal in keeping the OKC Thunder a playoff contender, beside Russell Westbrook.
"Coming into the season, it was all laid bare for Adams to become the key partner for Westbrook and his revenge mission against the league. It’s hard to quantify how well any other Thunder player fared thanks to the exploits of Westbrook, but Adams proved more than valuable as a teammate."
Full Article: Ranking the top Australian, NZ players after the regular season
Thunderous Intentions – Domantas Sabonis is key for next season
TI’s Tony Heim put to print what we are all thinking. Domantas Sabonis is the key to the OKC Thunder 2017-18 season. Westbrook will still be amazing, however, he will need more support. This hard working second year player will experience growth in his game this off-season.
"In his first season in the league Sabonis was asked to play a completely different style than his college years. With Steven Adams manning the block down low the rookie had to stay out on the perimeter and space the floor; in college Sabonis owned the block. Domas only attempted 14 threes in his college career, but that number was surpassed (with a deeper line) by his 7th career NBA game. On defense he was asked to guard players who could shoot 25-foot bombs AND take the ball to the rim, a far cry from the power forwards of the West Coast Conference.Now Sabonis knows what’s expected of him. He has picked up on the smaller nuances of the NBA game, something Adams noted early on in the season. Domas even joined Russell Westbrook in his early morning independent workouts to get extra practice with a superstar."
Full Article: Views from OKC: Domantas Sabonis is the key to next season
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