Can OKC Thunder forward Abdel Nader prove he is worth the Media Day hype his teammates showered him with in 2019-20?
Abdel Nader garnered a lot of love at Media Day from his OKC Thunder teammates with the likes of Deonte Burton who said with a laugh “Man, I’ve seen a lot of shots being made.” When asked what he has seen out of Abdel Nader this offseason. Burton was not the only teammate to notice Nader’s great summer.
Abdel Nader Also touched on the OKC Thunder’s new offense without Paul George and Russell Westbrook in the fold. Nader mentioned the offense will move the ball more saying “Less holding the ball, more fast pace, moving the ball, it’ll be interesting, it’ll be different.”
Nader on new offense: “Less holding the ball, more fast pace, more screens, moving the ball, it’ll be interesting it’ll be different.”
— Thunderous Intentions (@thunderousint) September 30, 2019
If anyone is primed to benefit from a faster offense that features more screens and ball movement it is Abdel Nader. The 26-year-old shot the ball at a 32 percent clip from deep a year ago in his 61 games, averaging four points per game, and a pair of rebounds. In limited action in Boston the year prior he shot the ball at a 35 percent rate from deep in his rookie campaign.
Abdel Nader, with consistency, could prove to be a big part of this rotation. His three-point stroke running off screens along with his ability to put the ball on the floor could be dangerous for opponents.
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Nader had six games with two or more 3-pointers a season ago and showed flashes of being a very good role player in the association. With the work he has put in this offseason, consistency should be sure to follow.
Nader has a team option for 2020-21 and could be a prime candidate to make the club on that team-friendly option if he proves the offseason hype to be real.
One glance at Nader’s twitter feed shows how much fun he is having on social media interacting with fans.
— Abdel Nader (@AbdelNader2) October 2, 2019
With Abdel Nader’s style on the floor, and interaction off the floor, if he can put it all together in his third season he will be a fan favorite without question for the OKC Thunder.
Do you believe in Abdel Nader this season? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter.