Summer fun with the Thunder

Summer League is the ultimate offseason entertainment; players fighting tooth and nail for roster spots and rotation minutes. It’s like Gladiator, just without Joaquin Phoenix doing Joaquin Phoenix things.

Going into the Orlando Summer League, the Oklahoma City squad was filled to the brim with talent and intrigue. Most eyes were locked on Cam Payne, Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary from the start, but Semaj Christon and Dakari Johnson quickly played their way into the fray.

In game one, the Thunder appeared rusty as a team. With McGary taking the drivers seat, OKC kept it close with Dallas until Cam Payne hit the shot of the game.

Throughout the game, Payne appeared to be rushing his shots. He lacked a true follow through on his release, but with six seconds left, Payne turned into Ronaldo Blackman; shooting the final shot with confidence before leaving his follow through in the air long after his release.

Payne carried this confidence into the final three games, where he finished as the scoring champion of the 2016 Orlando Summer League and being voted onto the All-Orlando team. He flashed quality rebounding and passing, while playing most of his time as an off ball shooting guard, averaging 18.8 PPG 4.5 RPG and 4.0 APG in 30 minutes a game.

Three negatives stuck out in Payne’s game though: inefficient shooting, shaky defense and a propensity to turn the ball over in the half court.

Payne only shot 44% from the floor and 29% from three, but as mentioned before, his release looked rushed and rigid. At 21 years old, the poor shooting should not be a large concern for the future as players tend to become better, more efficient shooters as they age.

His defense was a concern coming out of college, much of it attributed to his small size. Cam has visibly improved from his first games in the league, but he gets lost on defense too often. He struggled to react to screens or contain players off the ball. His on ball defense has improved dramatically, but his size limits the switching that OKC can run as he gets punished by smaller forwards fairly easily. If Payne can continue to put on muscle (he claimed to have added eight pounds since the seasons end) it will allow the Thunder to switch screens when facing great shooters.

The final issue in Payne’s Summer League game was his half court offense. He recorded 10 turnovers in 4 games. Payne often struggled to find quality shots in the half court and at times attempted to force passes, leading to careless turnovers. Payne flourishes in transition, but he must learn to command and function in a half court offense if he is to be a key player on the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.

With the departure of Kevin Durant comes the opening for a small forward and a larger need for a back up. Kyle Singler is not the answer to either of those situations, so naturally the attention has shifted towards the 2014 first round pick, small forward Josh Huestis.

Huestis played a power forward/center combo during his career at Stanford, eventually becoming the all time leader in blocks for the school. At only 6′ 7″ 230 lbs, Huestis lacks the size to play extended periods at the four or five. This has put him as a tweener forward, a forward that lacks the shooting to make him a SF but also the low post skills to be a PF. Huestis was not a stand out from this summer league, but he played well in spurts.

He shot 4-10 from three, which is a positive sign in the direction of a possible 3-and-D Huestis. Besides a strange leg movement, Huestis has a fluid shot which bodes well for his potential as a 3-and-D guy.

Sadly, Huestis more often than not looked lost on offense; running into teammates lanes in transition and mucking up the paint on a Dakari or McGary post up. Huestis lacks the offensive IQ to be playable for long periods of time, but the IQ will come with repetition and coaching.

The selling point of the former Stanford standout has been his defense and athleticism; Huestis put on a clinic on defense at times. His size cut off smaller forwards from attacking the basket, while his muscular build allowed him to body up larger players on back to the basket plays. His length also allowed him to contest a lot of good looks on closeouts.

Overall, Huestis is still a work in progress, but he may be playable at times in this coming season.

Mitch McGary was the second biggest star for the Thunder. Entering his third year in the league, McGary is at a pivotal point in his career. McGary had to perform at an extremely high level in this summer league to show that he had improved in every facet, and McGary did just that.

McGary was active on the glass, always in motion and making the right play in the offense, running and diving for loose balls and rebounds, McGary did everything you would want from a high energy big.

McGary did what was expected from him and more during his four games. He rim ran, creating countless easy buckets for OKC, something the team has lacked for the past two seasons.

What is more important than what McGary did on the floor is what happened off the floor. After an incredible week of play, McGary was suspended five games.

This comes as a huge hit to the momentum McGary had after his summer league performance. Only time will tell whether Sam Presti has the tolerance to keep him on the roster.

Rather than trying to not get moved off the roster, both Semaj Christon and Dakari Johnson are looking to earn spots on the Thunder this season. Conventional point guard Semaj Christon impressed with efficient around the rim scoring and a quality command of the half court offense.

Semaj made the right passes and allowed the offense to flow, while putting in 110% effort on defense. He has led a strong campaign to be the third point guard on the roster come October, and chances are, Presti will reward him for his performance.

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Dakari Johnson is a player that intrigued me from his time at a loaded Kentucky. Rather than waiting a year and becoming the starting center, the 7′ 1″ Dakari entered the 2015 draft. He was the 48th pick and spent the last year playing for the Oklahoma City Blue. Johnson started every game for the Thunder, averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds in 25 minutes. He wasn’t an uber efficient scorer, but he was a vicious rebounder. Many of his points came off of offensive rebounds.

Dakari lacks great defensive instincts, but he is a giant on the court. He has slimmed down since leading the NBA Combine in body fat percentage, and the results are obvious; no longer is he gasping for air after a fast break but actually pushing the opponent out of the paint. What Dakari lacks in rim protecting ability, he makes up in his 1-on-1 low post defense, using his length and size to smother the offensive player.

Dakari will not make the OKC roster this following year, but at age 20, he has several years to grow on the Blue until the roster is ready for him.

Next: Westbrook and Oladipo: A match made in heaven

Overall, the Orlando Summer League was a massive success for the Thunder. Cam Payne looks like an explosive guard that can take on key minutes. Josh Huestis has shown massive growth, and is closer to a finished project than many expected. Mitch McGary proved his talent is there, along with his in-shape physique many thought was never going to arrive. Semaj Christon put his resume on Sam Presti’s desk. And Dakari Johnson gave hope for a possible NBA career.