OKC Thunder: 3 things we learned in scrimmage vs. Celtics

The OKC Thunder won their first scrimmage game versus the Celtics with three palpable takeaways

On Friday, the OKC Thunder got back on the hardcourt facing an opponent for the first time since they played March 8th in Boston. This match also featured the Celtics although they were playing without their All-Star Kemba Walker.

Listening to some of the other coaches discuss the bubble it seems all of them have similar priorities. That is to get their players conditioned while also being cognizant of the risk of injury given the four-plus months away from competitive action.

There are no examples to draw from for this dynamic. There have been seasons where a player’s strike has meant a longer than usual hiatus but there’s never been a pandemic where players were quarantined or required to conduct safe distancing measures.

Now with the 22 teams safely in the bubble they have to figure out a way to get back to the level they were at prior to the hiatus. Most importantly, they’ll have only three scrimmages and eight seeding games to prep for the postseason.

OKC Thunder scrimmage takeaways

Finding the balance between ramping up the level of play while managing playing time is a tightrope that everyone will navigate. The teams who handle it best will hold the advantage.

To wit, every team is slowly working their players back into the mix and most core units played only in the first half. The Thunder and Celtics followed that direction running out various combinations and lineups which resulted in some sloppy play at times.

With that, let’s dive into the three biggest takeaways from the first scrimmage game.