The OKC Thunder are sending four players to the G-League bubble to play for the OKC Blue. The G-League will open on the 10th of February in the same arena as the NBA used when they had their restart to complete their 2019-20 season in Lake Buena Vista.
The G-League has only 17 teams from last season, plus the Ignite, which is the G-League team that has the elite high school NBA prospects. The Blue had to be a part of the shortened season given where the Thunder are at in the rebuild.
The players the OKC Thunder are sending to the bubble are all reasonably self-explanatory. However, let’s take a look at who is being sent to Florida and why, starting with Aleksej Pokusevski.
OKC Thunder assignee No. 1) Aleksej Pokusevski.
The only reason Pokusevski was not in the G-League before now is there has not been a team to assign him to thanks to COVID-19. The 17th pick in the 2020 NBA draft has underwhelmed with his shooting, to say the least.
While he has a really nice shooting stroke, he has looked too rushed and has been shooting them too short. In my opinion, he has not adjusted to the extra distance the NBA 3-point line is from the hoop — he is used to the international line.
Poku has also tried a little too hard to push the offense and has turned the ball over too often.
That being said, his rim protection has been on point and he can put the ball on the floor and make plays for others. His best attribute has been his rebounding.
Pokusevski will be able to work on all of this in the G-League where the pressure is not as great.
OKC Thunder assignee No. 2) Ty Jerome.
Ty Jerome has not played a minute of action this season with the OKC Thunder. He plays shooting guard and has therefore been pushed well down the rotation by the rise of Theo Maledon. The rookie is getting quality rotation minutes as well as junk time minutes when the opportunity arises.
Jerome is being sent to the G-League to spend some time in the Blue system, which is similar to the Thunder system by design. If he is able to show his talents in the G-League bubble, then he should get some court time with the varsity squad after the All-Star break.
OKC Thunder two-way player No. 1) Josh Hall
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Josh Hall has had very few meaningful minutes with the Thunder squad. However, the time that he has been able to hit the court he has shown that he has potential. He’s hit some good 3-point shots, given some assists, and played solid overall ball. He should get good minutes in Orlando so that the Thunder see what they have in this two-way signing.
OKC Thunder two-way player No. 2 Moses Brown
For me, Moses Brown has been the better of the Thunder’s two-way players. He has understood his role better when he has made it onto the court. He is a good rim-protector, solid rebounder, and asks questions on defenses they don’t like to answer. He can get to the line really well as a professional. He will have plenty of time in the 15 game schedule to show more of what he can do.
The OKC Blue kick off the 2021 G-League season on the 11th of February against the Salt Lake City Stars. Check back here for more updates on these players and all of the Blue roster as they try and win the G-League crown.