The OKC Thunder G-League affiliate, the OKC Blue, has used the showcase to help get their season back on track.
The OKC Thunder affiliate the OKC Blue has experienced a season plagued by injury. Playing without Markel Brown all season, as well as losing key pieces Kevin Hervey and Myke Henry for multiple games has made it tough to navigate.
They have also not had the services of Devon Hall for a large chunk of the season as he has been with the varsity squad. Also, the start of season sensation Luguentz Dort was called up to the OKC Thunder for several games to help the varsity squad out.
Hopefully, the G-League showcase tournament is the part of the season which puts an end to all these issues. The Blue split their games at the showcase and this is going to help put the season on track.
The first game against the Erie Bayhawks was a win, the Blue taking it 103-90. The win took the Blue to 5-10 on the season as all showcase games count towards the regular season. What is exciting is we saw the return of Brown, who only played eight minutes but had six points and four rebounds.
Oklahoma City Blue vs. Erie BayHawks - Condensed Game https://t.co/BpVnvmcZC3 via @YouTube
— Mervsports (@mervsports78) December 23, 2019
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Dort was solid with 24 points on 17 shots. Hall had 16 points, five rebounds, and three steals. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell was big off the bench with 15 points ad eight rebounds while Hervey poured in 11 points in 18 minutes. OKC Thunder assignee Justin Patton just missed a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds.
The second game of the tournament was against the Westchester Knicks and unfortunately, the Bule lost 100-89. Brown played seven minutes but was ineffective, failing to score or do anything positive in the box score. Hopefully, his minutes and role can expand throughout the season.
Dort was good again with 18 points, Hall had 17. Abdul Gaddy had a great game with 13 points and five assists. Off the bench, Akoon-Purcell has nine points and ten rebounds. Hervey, showing his quality pumped in 18 points and nine rebounds.
The joy of the showcase play was that the Blue got almost their entire team back. This is crucial going forward as they seek to get back into contention again.