OKC Thunder: 3 takeaways as shorthanded squad lose squeaker to Wolves

Home cooking hasn’t exactly led to success for the OKC Thunder who are still seeking consecutive home wins this season.

With the bottom seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in town for a back-to-back set, things were looking up the club could break through and win two in a row at Chesapeake. That was until shortly before game time news came down that rookie Theo Maledon would miss the game due to contact tracing.

With George Hill, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luguentz Dort already confirmed to be out suddenly Mark Daigneault found himself in a position where he had only the minimum eight players available.

That the Thunder octet kept the game as close as they did was a testament to the grittiness and resiliency of this roster.  They gave themselves a chance to win and under the circumstances, you can’t ask for more than that. Funny how much easier losses are to stomach when the end prize is a better lottery pick.

Diving into the match let’s examine three key takeaways.

OKC Thunder takeaway No. 1) Support staff rise to the occasion

With only eight players available it meant Daigneault had to be creative with his rotations. Six of those eight were the youngsters who typically get reserve minutes and play a specific role but saw their roles expand in this outing.

Darius Bazley and Al Horford were the only regular starters available which meant the trio of Hamidou Diallo, Kenrich Williams, and Isaiah Roby got the nod to replace SGA, Hill, and Dort.

In many ways, it felt like part of the reason the team was as competitive Friday tied directly to the positionless scheme the Thunder are developing.

Each of the above trio provided positives to the game with Diallo specifically standing out as he dished a career-high 10 dimes. In his third season with the team, he’s been one of the bright spots as he looks to carve out his role in the future. To this point, the only thing stopping him from taking another leap is his shooting, particularly from deep. That said, he’s not forcing up 3-point shots unnecessarily.

Roby is an intriguing player who arguably best represents the positionless template the club is building toward.  He filled up the stat sheet offering a bit of everything including 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and three blocks. He’s grown since the season started and is hedging toward a cemented role within the future roster.

Williams is another interesting player who has stood out for the energy he brings to the court. He commits to defense and does all the little things that don’t necessarily end up on box scores. As Ryan Lewis noted in his grades Williams played the second-most minutes which verifies how much trust Daigneault has in him and he often drew the hardest defensive assignments.

Every team needs an energy player and glue guy which is where I think Williams is carving out a niche on this roster.