OKC Thunder takeaway No. 3) Isaiah Roby’s consistency is providing major depth for this young team
Thursday night Roby ended Jakob Poeltl’s career with one of the most disrespectful dunk’s I have seen all season.
To make matters worse for the Spurs, Roby was excelling at both ends of the court as he finished the match with 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
The stat line does not necessarily translate to all the positive things he would provide for OKC in this matchup, but the young Center has found his stride as he has started multiple games now on back-to-backs for the veteran Al Horford.
Let’s take a look at Roby’s highlight reel from Thursday night’s game.
😱 @roby_isaiah 💥 pic.twitter.com/pTErkke5G6
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 5, 2021
Here is a baseline look at the thunderous slam by Roby as he makes a full head of steam to the cup with the emphatic finish.
𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 👀 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘@roby_isaiah pic.twitter.com/bfd2xo5zRp
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 5, 2021
From another angle, it is clear that Roby had zero doubts about what he would do during this play. Poeltl just happened to be in the way.
Put that man on a poster! pic.twitter.com/oN5NLcCofh
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 5, 2021
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Last but not least, a snapshot of the monstrous dunk that turned this game upside-down.
If Roby can keep this up, it will be interesting to see where he will be on the depth chart at the end of the year. I do not believe he will take Al Horford’s starting position, but it is interesting to see Isaiah’s dynamic paired with the starting core.
The OKC Thunder showed a tremendous all-around performance Thursday night as the team heads into the All-Star break.
And this is precisely the type of performance Thunder fans love to see to close out the first half of the season.
The full box score can be found here.
The Thunder will be back home on the court in precisely a week against the Dallas Mavericks. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.