OKC Thunder In the news features roster news regarding Andre Roberson, Terrance Ferguson and Kevin Hervey with season start just 10 sleeps away.
Basketball season is nearly upon us, and Oklahoma City continues to deliver exciting updates leading up to season open. OKC Thunder In The News for October 6, 2018 features some player developments on the lineups we can expect in the first game.
Specifically, less than two weeks left until the 2018-2019 NBA regular season tips off. With that, we have new OKC Thunder updates on the timeline for Andre Roberson’s highly-anticipated return, Billy Donovan’s words on Terrance Ferguson starting, and rookie Kevin Hervey’s two-way contract for Oklahoma City Blue.
Bad News for Roberson Injury
Starting Thunder guard and elite defensive wingman Andre Roberson is starting to be recognized more and more for his contributions to OKC wins. Unfortunately and in an untimely manner, he suffered a knee injury last season that completely hurt his team’s ability to contend. We find out recently that he had to undergo a third procedure. 🙁
Tamberlyn Richardson of Thunderous Intentions reviews this information and how it affects the team.
"It isn’t of the minor variety because he was unable to progress through the annoyance. The spokesperson advised Roberson will be re-evaluated in two months."
Be sure to check out the full article for a kneecap recap.
Terrance Ferguson Gets His Chance
As I detailed in the Player Season Preview, 2nd-year guard Terrance Ferguson needs to step it up to earn minutes so he can be comfortable enough as a solid rotation piece and contributor. Looks like his hard work over the summer has indeed paid off, with Thunder head coach Billy Donovan defending 2K as Roberson’s starter replacement, at least for the preseason.
As reported by Erik Horne for The Oklahoman, Billy D emphasizes:
"He’s been kind of the one constant in terms of who’s been out there and being healthy and being able to go through everything…he’s earned the right to go out there and play and start in these games just based on what he’s done so far in training camp."
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
That’s seriously great news for the young guard, as this will be a valuable opportunity to prove the potential that GM Sam Presti sees in him, and shut his haters down after a quiet first season.
Kevin Hervey will develop with the OKC Blue
Ferguson had his start as a two-way player playing 3 games for the Thunder’s G-League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue, and looks like draft pick Kevin Hervey will follow suit. This is always great for inexperienced rookies to transition to the basketball big stage because they will get more playing time with the Blue.
Ryan Stiles of Thunderous Intentions covers this player update in a thorough article with key facts about this lesser known addition to your favorite underdog team. It’s definitely worth a read.
"Hervey, is just 22 years old, and at 6’8 it will be interesting to see which positions he will play in this new position-less basketball era. A year ago, Hervey poured in 20 points in his 33 games at UT-Arlington."
Overall, this OKC Thunder In the news edition brings player news both good and less good, but exciting nonetheless.Stay tuned when more information comes as OKC Thunder finalizes its regular season starting roster.
And, make sure to visit Thunderous Intentions daily as the writing team serves up all the player previews for the season.