Big Kiwi shines as OKC Thunder post easy 110-84 victory over New Zealand Breakers

The Rookies:

The stat line for RJ Hampton doesn’t do justice to the 18-year olds effort in the loss. Sure, he shot 2 of 11 from the field, however, he didn’t let that stop him from producing in other areas. He dished out five dimes, collected four rebounds, scored eight points and managed to get to the line for four free throws.

To reiterate, RJ is 18 years old and aside from the game versus the Grizzlies this was his first exposure to NBA pros. There is still ample reason to be optimistic about the point guard’s ability and a year in the NBL should serve him well.

Likewise, Bazley had a slow start to his offense but cleaned it up as the game progressed. As T.I. highlighted in the last outing, the Thunder rookie does so many things well it’s hard not to gush. I’m still trying to figure out how the stats keeper didn’t add a block to his box score as he definitely blocked a for sure bucket early in the first quarter.

Despite missing repeated shots early, Bazley didn’t back off calling for the ball or continuing to shoot – the sign of a pro. His fit and chemistry with SGA is growing and that 6’9″ frame of his causes all kinds of issues for opponents.

One tip for Billy Donovan—- much like the Raptors capitalized on Pascal Siakam in his rookie season on leak outs for easy buckets Donovan, CP3, and SGA might want to review that in the film room. On at least five occasions Bazley broke out and was well ahead of anyone on the court. A full-court pass to the rookie would’ve resulted in easy, open driving lay-ins or dunks.