Thunderous Intentions
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The Thunder should not look at point guards in the first round

By Casimir Cuffy

Mar 27, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) in action during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeat the Mavericks 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) in action during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeat the Mavericks 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) in action during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeat the Mavericks 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) in action during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeat the Mavericks 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2017 NBA draft is finally upon us. The OKC Thunder hold the 21st overall selection. Oklahoma City usually holds their workouts air tight, but news leaked  a few weeks ago at what position they may be looking at.

It’s no secret that the back-up PG position was a huge weakness for this team this past season. From the beginning of the season the Thunder kept trying to find stability from that spot.

First Ronnie Price was signed to a two year deal in August of 2016. He was brought in to be a veteran guard that could come in and not mess the game up. Fast-forward a couple of months and the Thunder cut him in an effort to trim the roster down to the required 15 players. His release showed that the Thunder were confident in Cameron Payne returning from his injury at a high level and Semaj Christon being able to hold the fort down in the mean time. Instead, the opposite occurred.

OKC then realized that Payne wasn’t the answer for the back-up spot. After just a year and a half of being on the team he was traded at the trade deadline to the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder then signed Norris Cole for the rest of the season. They quickly learned that he wasn’t the solution as the team went on a losing streak with him as the back-up. Christon was then called upon to become that guy and well, the rest is recent history.

Who can fit?

The back-up point guard position is vital to the success of the bench unit. In the Thunder’s case, it can be tough to find one because of who he will be playing behind. OKC has to find someone who isn’t itching to be a budding star in the league (Reggie Jackson) and someone who isn’t completely terrible. The back-up PG for OKC won’t get much playing time behind Russell Westbrook and they have to be okay with that. They also have to know that to get more playing time they have to be able to play with Russ.

Sam Presti knows he has to address that position before the start of next season. How he should go about filling that hole is the real question. We know one player that OKC has held a pre-draft workout for.

Jawun Evans is one of the few valuable point guards that will be available for the Thunder at 21. Derrick White out of Colorado is another name being brought up for OKC. But should the Thunder take a chance on another back-up pg to come in and contribute behind Westbrook? I would say no.

Mar 4, 2017; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) looks to pass the ball during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) looks to pass the ball during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /

New strategy

That strategy hasn’t worked for them in the past with Jackson and Payne. Both were for the same reason as well. They were young players who had to juggle learning the game along with playing with and behind Russell Westbrook.

That’s why I believe it would be more wise to target a veteran back-up point guard who knows how to fit in to a team instead of going out and drafting one. Several players can be brought in through either free agency or trades that can fill that void. Using a first round draft pick on a position that is occupied by your best player just isn’t the way to go. Especially if you want to put the best team around Westbrook for the next 4-5 years.

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Players like Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack or Raymond Felton could come in contribute to any team. They are also able to do it at a low price for a contending team. A solid 10-15 minutes a night behind Westbrook is not a tall task for any of them. Another option could be signing a player from the summer league. The Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, has a steady PG in Alex Caruso that could help immediately. The last option could just be sticking with Semaj Christon and hoping he develops, but I wouldn’t bank on that.

The 21st pick in this draft should be used to address another weak position like a wing, or anyone that can shoot threes. If a PG like Jawun Evans is drafted we will probably find ourselves in this same position a couple of years from now when he struggles for opportunities behind Westbrook.

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