OKC Thunder player grades – OKC enters break on a high note!

Future OKC Thunder frontcourt meshing well:

After going through a cold stretch of games where Darius Bazley looked like he’d hit the rookie wall that he avoided in 2020 because of the pandemic hiatus, the youngster has impressed to close out the first half.

In three of his last four games, he’s produced double-doubles. In this match, he registered 11 points and 10 rebounds and collected the double-digits in the closing moments of the game via a big rebound and nailing two free throws.  He added a steal and a block as well.

His ballhandling is a bit scary at times, but the raw talent is obvious. Trey Lyles gave him some tough times defensively. The grade gets a bump from a B+ to an A for the way he closed out the match with those critical plays.

Bit of a broken record here again as Isaiah Roby continues to impress in what is essentially his rookie season given he only appeared in garbage time with the varsity squad in three games last season.

His ballhandling for a big man is above average and the more he plays with Bazley I think the pair will help to bolster aspects of each other’s games. Whereas, Baz sometimes dishes nifty dimes they typically come without him moving with the ball much. Roby has a more developed ability in that regard and these youngsters all seem to be feeding off each other so the osmosis factor is at play here.

Roby had a productive night in many areas (other than from deep) registering 12 points, six rebounds (three offensive boards), two assists, and two steals.

With LaMarcus Aldridge out, Roby didn’t have to deal with his mid-range skill set and physical presence. However, he did have to battle with a legit seven-footer in Jakob Poeltl although the Austrian had a tough night at the office collecting early and frequent fouls (courtesy primarily of Lu Dort). Um — and then there was THIS…

https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1367695470290739203?s=20

WOW!