OKC Thunder: The Breakfast Club step into the spotlight

The OKC Thunder have some of the best young role players in the NBA.

But before I started watching basketball closely, I questioned what even is a role player? In a league that is all about the superstars, and where players are known on a first-name basis or by their nicknames, we don’t talk as much as we should about the guy sitting at the end of the bench.

The guy who comes on and forces a turnover in crucial moments when their team’s defense was struggling. The player who gets fifteen minutes but does more with that time than anyone else. From snatching steals to making it rain from downtown. Or the guy that wasn’t even meant to be playing but had to fill in and goes off for a team-high.

These “role players” can play their roles and do so much more. For the OKC Thunder, these players are known as ‘The Breakfast Club.’ They include undrafted guys, second-round picks, and players who had to bet on themself to even get a shot at making the league.

They show us that no matter what your position is or if you start or not, what’s important is what you do with it.

We’ve grown a soft spot for this group watching them grow and solidify themselves as influential players during an exciting OKC rebuild.

After the Thunder’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the end of January, Isaiah Roby shared with the media the origin of this group.

"“We kinda had a running joke, we had a group of guys earlier in the season called ‘The Breakfast Club.’ It was me, Kenrich [Williams], Darius Miller, Josh Hall, Moses Brown and Justin Jackson. We weren’t really playing that much. We would go in early before practice and play 3-on-3. I’m always rooting for The Breakfast Club. That second group, those guys always work hard.”"

It was those early starts and dedication to getting better that has allowed them to reap the rewards on the court. Recently with OKC being short on players due to injury and G-league commitments, some of these guys have had the opportunity to step up.

The Thunder wouldn’t be the same without them. There’s a lot we could learn from their resilience and passion which is unmatched.

As we witnessed against the Lakers in their back-to-back games or in their win over the Bucks, even if OKC is missing their best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, there’s no need to worry.

Roby, Kenrich Williams, and Justin Jackson, in particular, have played big minutes. As we have seen just how great they are on the court, here is a little insight into these three players away from it and their journey to the NBA.

As Roby says “I’m always rooting for the Breakfast Club.” And Thunder Nation will be doing the same.