New look Thunder and Rockets square off in preseason opener

The OKC Thunder began their 2017-18 preseason tipping off against the combined forces of Chris Paul, James Harden and the Houston Rockets.

While the Rockets were playing at near-full force, the Thunder were without reigning MVP Russell Westbrook, who was out to rest a sore knee. Patrick Patterson and Alex Abrines were also out with knee injuries, meaning tonight was a chance to get a look at the young OKC prospects.

From the opening tips it was clear the stars came out to play. Carmelo Anthony, 7-13 from the field and 3-5 from three, turned in 19 points in 19 minutes. Spot up three pointers and off-ball picks for uncontested shots gives hope that Anthony is ready to be the Thunder’s go to perimeter scorer this season while defenses are worried about Westbrook and George cutting to the basket.

George’s 15 points were much more varied, coming from both behind the arc as he drilled a few shots in the face of Rockets defenders, and impressive shows of speed to get into the paint for contested lay ins. He also threw in five rebounds and two assists.

Steven Adams looked strong in the paint with four points, four rebounds and a block in 19 minutes on the court. Adams did leave late in the second quarter with a back injury after landing on James Harden. He did not return but Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said he expects it is nothing major.

Rounding out the starting five, Andre Roberson looked good defensively as always, but his offensive deficiency seems to be as strong as ever. He recorded just two points and two rebounds, but was part of possibly the funniest moment of the preseason thus far as he was called out by Chris Paul after missing a wide open three.

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Finally, Raymond Felton was a very mixed bag. His play was solid with nine points and three assists against CP3, but his body and conditioning are what I and many Thunder fans should be worried about. He looks like late New York Knicks fat Ray versus last year’s slim and trim Ray. He looked to tire easily despite playing well. It shouldn’t be much of an issue as he begins to backup Westbrook, but he doesn’t look his best. Of course Twitter had some fun with it.

The bench had little standout in the 104-97 Houston victory, but the big thing to watch is the sudden improvement of Jerami Grant.

At 6’9 and in this league for two seasons now, Grant will be seen playing more of the four then last year. He looks the part as he seemed to have bulked up since last season. Grant handled himself well in drives to the basket where he used to look sloppy, and his 10 points and six rebounds show an improvement on his skillset from last season. He might be a key for the Thunder bench this coming season.

Rookie Terrance Ferguson, Isaiah Canaan and Josh Huestis all showed flashes in their court time. Canaan made a strong case to take Felton’s backup spot with 11 points, six assists and three rebounds. Ferguson scored eight points in his NBA debut, going 2-4 from the field and1-3 from three. Huestis showed some muscle playing the four, scoring five points and hauling in seven rebounds despite his 6’7 frame fighting amongst the trees.

There were clear issues with stopping the two dominant ball handlers in Paul and Harden, as they were able to penetrate the defense with ease. They have many ways to improve, but what we saw is promising as we look forward to the next game.

The Thunder next play the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 6 in Oklahoma City. Tipoff at 7 p.m. CST.