OKC Thunder mystery: The curious case of Alex Abrines
Almost a month has passed since we last saw Alex Abrines in action. And with no return in sight, is his time with the OKC Thunder coming to a close?
Once a top prospect for the OKC Thunder, Alex Abrines is in danger of losing his job. Abrines began the season on thin ice, as he failed to earn the starting spot over Terrance Ferguson and lost minutes to Hamdiou Diallo. And since leaving for personal reasons late last month, Abrines hasn’t been missed much.
For those wondering what’s going on with Abrines and when he might be back, we still don’t know. There is a source, however, saying he’s dealing with a potentially serious illness which may or may not be related to the personal reason he is absent.
The following tweet claims to be close to Abrines’ father and can be translated after following the link. Whether or not the source is reliable can’t be determined, but it is something to think about.
Info sobre @alexabrines. El viernes estuve hablando con su padre y me dijo que el jugador tuvo un virus en diciembre y una posterior recaída. Que había perdido mucho peso y que @okcthunder no quería correr riesgos con su vuelta. Que no había nada sobre traspasos. Veremos... pic.twitter.com/T9ztqkE28l
— Xisco Cruz (@xiscocruz) January 14, 2019
Whatever the reason, Abrines’ future with the team isn’t looking good. He lost most of his minutes to other players, hasn’t been in a game in almost a month and is in the final year of his contract. It’s the perfect storm. He will likely be dealt at the trade deadline, or at the very least, not be back next season.
It’s a personal issue. https://t.co/eTqtvfF3aA
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) January 14, 2019
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Even if Abrines comes back soon, Ferguson will remain the unquestioned starter while Andre Roberson continues to rehab. Ferguson has improved in several areas, especially in shooting, as he went 4-for-4 from deep against Minnesota last Tuesday and 7-for-12 against San Antonio on Thursday. And since both Abdel Nader and Hamidou Diallo have proved capable, Abrines’ stock continues to drop.
So what’s the future for Abrines? For now, he needs to focus on coming back. Sure, life happens and sometimes things are so bad that basketball becomes a non-issue.
We don’t know what’s going on with Abrines and I don’t want to diminish whatever he’s going through. At the end of the day, though, the Thunder will move on with or without him. And as it stands, it appears to be without him.
If Abrines is still with the Thunder on February 8, he will need to take full advantage of the minutes he’s given. Meaning hit open shots and play better defensively.
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Hopefully, he’s able to earn his minutes back. But if he’s sick, chances are he’s not in the gym working on his game. So unless we hear something different, I assume OKC is moving on from the bearded Spaniard.