OKC Thunder in the news: Adams reflects back on K.D. shade over his draft selection

Steven Adams recalls the shade OKC Thunder star Kevin Durant tossed when he was drafted plus a look at the depth Schroder adds to squad.

OKC Thunder in the news for September 4 dives into Steven Adams reflecting on the poor reception he got from Kevin Durant after his draft selection. In addition, Def Pen examines how Dennis Schroder could be a perfect fit in OKC and more from T.I.’s 30 for 30 series.

Adams recalls K.D. not so warm welcome:

Reflection is something we consistently do with sports and athletes. For example, how an OKC Thunder player has grown over their tenure or how the team has shifted through different iterations of the roster.

On Labor Day Monday a Bleacher Report article by Joseph Zucker had Thunder Nation all looking back to the 2013 draft class. At the time the star of OKC wasn’t thrilled with the addition of Steven Adams and took to social media to showcase his displeasure.

Another Thunder player (James Harden) also voiced his displeasure via twitter. As T.I. writer Alex Kennedy pointed out at the time the thinking was the OKC Thunder whiffed on adding talents like C.J. McCollum or Michael Carter-Williams. Kennedy also noted how OKC discussed trying to buy up to add Victor Oladipo or Alex Len.

Knowing what we know now, the pick was yet another smart move by Sam Presti.

As they say hindsight is 20-20 given Steven Adams has consistently grown within the Thunder system. Some might even conclude his role with OKC warranted him being the third man of the OK3. Certainly, if we examine games in which the Thunder dominate there is a direct correlation to Adams performance. I’ll point you in the direction of the OKC Thunder versus Toronto Raptors last season.

It was a game which demonstrated how integral Adams is to the teams success and simultaneously showcased precisely how difficult it is to stop the Westbrook-Adams pick and roll when it’s functioning at it’s peak. Jonas Valanciunas wasn’t just on an island, he looked sunk in the Pacific. Granted, JV isn’t a top notch defender, but this game served notice on how effective the Russ-Adams PnR is and why it deserves greater emphasis in the offense.

Dennis Schroder adds life to Thunder bench:

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Def Pen offers their thoughts on Dennis Schroder’s addition to the Thunder. The article points out while Schroder isn’t necessarily meant to compete against the top ranked point guards in the NBA, being with the Thunder could be the perfect fit.

Although we keep reiterating this point at T.I. it’s a relevant note that Westbrook thrived with Harden as the main man off the bench. Fairly, Schroder is no Harden however, the role he would play would be similar particularly in clutch time.

"The Thunder’s bench play was the biggest blight on a temperamental 2017-18 season. They finished with the second fewest points per game on average, and their -0.1 net rating ranks far below the league’s heavyweights. The firepower of Westbrook, All-Star forward Paul George and low-post anchor Steven Adams managed to drag Oklahoma City to the fourth seed in the brutal Western Conference, but it did not hold up come playoff time."

Thunderous Intentions 30 for 30 rolls along:

Lawrence George’s fingers must be sore given the quality he’s pumping out for T.I. on this series. Labor Day he presented the 22nd offering in the 30 for 30 series with a glimpse at how C.J. Miles would fit the current OKC roster. His contract is an economical fit but it’s the role he would play in OKC which jumps off the page.

"Entering the 2018-19 season, the Raptors have a wing problem. Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, O.G. Anunoby, Norman Powell and Miles are all competing for minutes on the wing while point guards Lowry, Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright slid to the two spot for large stretches last season. Assuming Leonard and Green are starting, Miles is essentially competing for minutes with five other players. Additionally, Anonuby appears to be ahead of Miles in the rotation thus where Miles falls in the rotation is unknown."

Make sure to check it out along with the others in the series. Today we post two offerings with Noah Schulte pinch hitting for the Pacers submission and George looking at a familiar Thunder face who he suggests might be wise for the squad to bring back to Oklahoma.