The OKC Thunder are about to begin a rebuild, or a retool if you prefer, leaving us to ponder the five youngsters who’ll comprise the club’s future foundation.
The future is always more popular than the present. In sports, and life. There is a reason one of the most popular questions to ask someone when trying to get to know them is “Where do you see yourself in five years?” For the OKC Thunder that is a loaded question.
There is a reason why the NBA remains popular for 12 months out of the year. Their offseason is unmatched even by the monstrosity that is the NFL, the NBA never has a dull moment. From social media drama, stars wanting out, the biggest name switching teams, and all the fake trades that ESPN’s trade machine can handle.
As NBA fans, we almost love the transaction more than we love the reaction to actual games. Traffic on podcasts, articles, tv shows, almost peak when the season is not in session. There is a reason that your favorite outlet for basketball content does a ton of trade scenarios and future outlooks. It has been shown that it is what gets the fans engaged.
So what about the OKC Thunder? Where do they sit for the next five outs? Spoiler alert: On a mountain of draft picks with a good foundation of young players.
To talk about the future, you have to discuss what you already have, what are you building around? Unlike some teams, the OKC Thunder already have their star in waiting. His name is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and he is primed to be an All-Star and maybe one of the best players in the league at the height of his career. That plus 15 future first-round picks, is a very good start. So who are the top five young assets on the roster?
The OKC Thunder have a blue-chip asset on their hands and his name is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The OKC Thunder can attribute their future to SGA. Gaining this rising star in the Paul George trade turn this from a 4-5 year rebuild to a simple retooling with the flexibility to never tank if the team so chooses. However, even if Sam Presti elects to bottom out, he already has one of the two to three stars needed to contend. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a great one to have, considering he can play with anyone.
SGA can play on the ball, or off the ball, and be effective. If the NBA Draft unfolds that the best player available is a lead guard, a combo guard, a big man, or a wing, you are well equipped to handle it with the young Canadian.
If the team elects to trade their draft assets for a seasoned NBA player that can help right now, SGA’s versatility again comes into play. Find me a player that he would not fit next to? Tweet me, comment on this article, email, send a note my pigeon, try your best to pair someone with SGA that wouldn’t fit.
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You can’t do it, huh?
Shai averaged nearly 20 points per game while being paired with Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams controlling some scoring at various levels. Playing off-ball a ton Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still was able to compile three assists per contest, while also hauling in six rebounds.
SGA is already the leading scorer on the fifth seed in the Western Conference, a team that was surging before the pandemic and almost overtook home-court advantage from the Utah Jazz before the season was suspended seconds before tipoff.
The bottom line is, no matter what Sam Presti chooses to do in the future, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will ensure it is fun on and off the floor.
The OKC Thunder took a chance on Darius Bazley, and for my money, it will pay off
When commissioner Adam Silver announced Darius Bazley would be heading to the OKC Thunder, the collective sentiment amongst fans was “Who?!” the former New Balance intern that elected to skip college was not on many people’s radar.
Passing up on Brandon Clarke who immediately won MVP honors at the Summer League and posted a good rookie year featuring 12 points per contest for the upstart Grizzlies.
However, Sam Presti went off the board as he has before. Darius Bazley has been an incredible get off the floor. From his social media presence on Twitter, Tik Tok, and Instagram, to his incredible interviews each time the media puts a microphone in front of his face, Bazley has the personality.
However, do not allow an injury-plagued first season as a 19-year-old playing organized basketball for the first time in over a year to sway your opinion of the youngster.
Darius Bazley’s best asset is his playmaking. Coming out of high school his playmaking was elite for his size. That is what makes him such a good player. The potential of being able to run your offense through him on the wing and especially the high post. Mix that with SGA’s off-ball ability and you have a fun duo!
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However, this season for Bazley there were too many cooks in the kitchen and he did a good job of playing a different role than he was accustom to. Battling for the ball with lead guards such as CP3, Dennis Schroder, and SGA was going to limit his offensive game which is predicated on his IQ and passing ability.
If next year, the two best players on this roster are SGA and Bazley, of course, you will see them flourish in new roles despite the losses that would pile up.
Bazley can be your leading playmaker for a second unit after you solidify your starting five, or you could continue to develop into a rim-roller with the ability to pop out for a midrange jumper and even has the upside to extend to the 3-point line.
Finally, we get to Lu Dort, the third most valuable young player on the roster
Lu Dort is everything OKC Thunder fans wanted Deonte Burton to be. The scrappy two-way guy that was a diamond in the rough and turned into a long-term player in the NBA. While Lu Dort’s ceiling might not include him holding onto that starting gig the next time the OKC Thunder is ready to truly compete for Larry O, he will without question be a formidable player in the postseason rotation.
One of the first things that Sam Presti and the organization will do once the NBA season resumes is signing Lu Dort to a full guaranteed NBA contract and allow him to become postseason eligible.
As an aside, Lu Dort might be the player who benefits most from this delay. As a two-way player that is used to the high school/college style and only playing 30 games a year, he was tasked with defending the top scoring threats in the NBA. This delay could prevent Dort from hitting “The rookie wall.”
Dort’s defense has gotten a ton of buzz and has been nothing short of phenomenal when tasked with going up against elite NBA scoring options. What excites me for Lu Dort is his 3-point potential.
While he only stroked the trey ball at a 30 percent clip this season, his free throw shooting is where Thunder fans should find encouragement. Many people around the NBA look at free throw percentage as the most indicative stat for whether a player can develop a shot from beyond the arc. Dort shoots nearly 78 percent from the charity stripe.
Maybe I am too bullish on the young Canadian, but for my money, Dort’s floor is a key rotational player. That is incredibly valuable for any team looking to contend, especially when you gained this value from an undrafted free agent.
The OKC Thunder have more than just a springy dunker in Hamidou Diallo
Hamidou Diallo was a second-round pick that the OKC Thunder has already received a better return on investment than with the majority of second-rounders. Diallo has always been pigeoned holed as only a dunker, and his jaw-dropping leap over Shaq played into it as he hoisted the slam dunk contest trophy.
This season in year two, Diallo started the 2019-20 campaign proving that he is more than just a high flyer, and showing flashes of the potential to be a good role player in this league. Before injuring his elbow this season, Diallo was averaging eight points with four rebounds. The second-year player also collected over a steal per game on the defensive end.
He played the role of a defensive menace recognizing five multi-steal games. Playing time since those first 11 games this year have been sparse as he continues to nurse different injuries.
Hamidou Diallo will never be an NBA caliber starter, but his athleticism, defense, and off-ball offense when cutting to the rim make him a valuable role player.
Terrance Ferguson has experienced an interesting career arc but sits in no man’s land
It seems like it was just yesterday Russell Westbrook had that now-legendary night with Terrance Ferguson. After a rough start to the 2018-19 season, he began raining trey balls and finished the season shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
Many expected that trend to continue into year three of his NBA career; the season that most players have a coming of age moment. Instead, in 2019-20, TFerg experienced a career-low 29 percent from 3 point land, only producing four points per game, with nearly an assist per game.
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The third-year player lost his starting gig to Lu Dort and dealt with issues off the floor throughout the season that more than likely impacted his performance.
Even while playing two seasons of over 20 minutes per contest, Ferguson never looked like a true starter in this league. The resulting effect was Donovan moved him down the rotation. Unless he sees a bounceback from beyond the arc, his value will continue decreasing.
Just as I may be too bullish on Lu Dort, maybe I have soured too much on the 22-year-old Tulsa native, however, I no longer see it with him. I once thought he could be a starter in the NBA, but at this point, his ceiling is a good role player. How successful he is at becoming the 3-and-D guy we once thought he could be will.
I never thought at season start that I would rank Hamidou Diallo over Ferguson. I also never thought we would be in a global pandemic. Yet here we are.
Ultimately, this squad has three guys I am confident will be on the roster when the OKC Thunder are ready to truly contend again, and a couple of longshots. Sam Presti’s treasure trove of draft assets offers flexibility. More importantly, it gives fans the assurance this will not be a 76ers-like rebuild that took what felt like ages to mature.