Thunderous Intentions
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Defining what each OKC Thunder rookie needs to work on in 2018-19

By Noah Schulte

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 7: Hamidou Diallo #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 7: Hamidou Diallo #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder
Devon Hall, OKC Thunder (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Biggest points of emphasis:

  • Assertiveness
  • Confidence

Where Hall will play in 2018-19: 

  • Overseas

Devon Hall’s placement on this list says less about his actual skills and more about the hurdles that he’s already had adjusting to the NBA. In Summer League, for instance, he should have been a far more dominant player than he was, especially because he was two or three years older than a lot of his other competition and he was coming off a year in which he was the best player on a number-one ranked University of Virginia team. But he was never quite able to adjust to the speed of the game and frequently looked over matched and overwhelmed out there.

Given his troubles, it makes sense that the Thunder are reportedly sending him overseas where he’ll be able to get the kinds of touches he needs to get comfortable at the pro-level in a low-pressure situation. If everything goes well, he should be able to come back in a few years and fit right into the Thunder’s scheme and the modern NBA at large. But that’s far from a guarantee.

Hall’s biggest issues thus far seem to stem from a deeper passive mindset than anything else and if he can’t find a way to let it fly a little more in Europe, he might not be able to show enough growth to make it out. And even though he was a fantastic defender in Virginia, the system that Tony Bennett runs is almost entirely antiquated when compared to the tenets and principles of modern defense so the learning curve for Hall on that end could be steep.

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