NBA Summer League: Local OKC prospect Rashawn Thomas sparkles in Vegas

In three NBA Summer League games Rashawn Thomas has been the most consistent Thunder player. But, has he done enough to earn a rotational position for his home town team?

Nothing has come easy for Oklahoma City Thunder prospect Rashawn Thomas. His unlikely route to the NBA and recent success sure seems worthy of landing him a roster spot with his hometown team. There are no guarantees and he’ll need to keep producing during the second round of the NBA Summer League.tournament. Still, if you had to pick one standout to put at the top of the shortlist Thomas is the guy.

Going into the summer league, Oklahoma City Thunder fans didn’t have much to look forward to. The Thunder’s team of prospects landed in Las Vegas without expectations of success. And given the amount of free agency drama, summer league hasn’t gotten much attention.

However, getting overlooked is nothing new to OKC prospect Rashawn Thomas. The 6-8, 23-year-old forward has seized every opportunity he’s been given, including three games as the starting forward during the Vegas summer league.

The Come Up

Growing up in Oklahoma City, Thomas was a 2013 All-State basketball selection at Southeast High School. Despite his success at the prep level, Thomas went on to play at Texas A&M Corpus Christi a DI Southland Conference school. Once there, he went on to become one of the best players in school history.

Thomas set 18 school records over his four years and 125 games played. During his tenure, he averaged 16.3 points per game on 54.6 percent shooting with 7.7 rebounds for the Islanders.

Thomas continued to fly under the radar following his collegiate career and went undrafted in 2017. His next stop brought him back to his hometown of OKC, where he was signed and played his first professional season with the OKC Blue. In 46 games, Thomas averaged 13.9 points, adding 7.3 rebounds with 2.7 assists in 28.8 minutes a game.

He kept the pace in the G-League, scoring 13.9 points per game on 45 percent shooting and 7.3 rebounds. The effort landed him a spot on team USA’s World Cup qualifying team.

After all of the success he’s enjoyed at every level to this point, Thomas is slowly gaining recognition. He’s currently leading the Thunder’s summer league squad in points (16 per game), steals (2) and blocks (1.3). Thomas is also second on the team in rebounds with 8.3 per game.

Finding a Role

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With four players who previously saw minutes in the NBA on the NBA summer league roster, Thomas was an unlikely standout. Yet,  every time Thomas has been given an inch, he’s taken a mile. Thomas has been overlooked throughout his basketball journey. However, that might all be about to change.

If he can prove himself useful at the NBA level, Billy Donovan would have a great use for him. The Thunder were dead last in bench scoring last season at a dismal 25.9 points per game. So an offensive-minded reserve forward would be extremely useful.

Thomas’ excellent performances through three games has simply been on par with what he’s done at every level of the sport. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if he gets a call up. Sure, it’ll be on a temporary, two-way contract to begin with, but as Thomas has always done, he’ll likely find a way to contribute in whatever playing time he sees.

Here’s hoping the home town team makes good for the home town guy – he sure has earned it.