OKC Thunder: 3 players who benefit most from Justin Jackson’s release

Though they’ve managed to impress with their surprisingly high level of production during the early stages of this season, as the days go by the OKC Thunder seemingly find themselves steering more and more into the tank mentality.

From the moves made around this year’s trade deadline to their decision to sit Al Horford for the remainder of the season, Oklahoma City’s recent slew of decisions all point towards their shift to a draft-oriented mentality.

While many of us here at TI personally were hoping for the team to find themselves competing for a play-in spot come the end of the 2020-21 regular-season schedule, frankly, this tank mindset coincides quite nicely with the recent news that franchise player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be sidelined indefinitely due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Without the star guard, they have little chance anyway to stay on track with their first-half production, so opting to go “all in” with tanking seems to be the right path to take.

Now, the team’s most recent move to aid in this process came Monday afternoon, where it was announced that the franchise would be releasing fourth-year wing, Justin Jackson.

3 OKC Thunder players could directly benefit from Justin Jackson’s release

Through 33 games played with the OKC Thunder, the 25-year-old posted 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 41 percent shooting from the floor.

Though perhaps not the biggest staple in the rotation, only averaging 16.5 minutes per night, Jackson’s departure still finds itself affecting the remaining talents found on the roster.

With this, we believe there are 3 specific players on the team that benefit the most from Jackson’s departure:

OKC Thunder beneficiary No. 1) Josh Hall

The release of Justin Jackson won’t have a huge impact on the team as a whole for, like we already alluded to, he wasn’t one of the main focal points to begin with. However, his departure opens up about 17 minutes within the rotation, and we believe a guy like Josh Hall could benefit greatly from such an opportunity.

Coming into the league as an undrafted free agent this past offseason, the former four-star recruit out of Greenville, North Carolina signed a two-way contract with the OKC Thunder back in early December.

Thus far into his NBA career, the wing has played in 12 total games and has averaged just 2.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Though perhaps not the most impressive of stat lines, Mark Daigneault’s coaching staff has done a tremendous job of developing “afterthought” players — ex. Moses Brown, Isaiah Roby, Hamidou Diallo, etc.

The former NC State commit could prove to be the team’s next diamond in the rough, and a few extra minutes and an increased role could help bring out his full potential.

OKC Thunder beneficiary No. 2) Justin Robinson

A few hours after Jackson was released, news broke that former Virginia Tech standout point guard, Justin Robinson, was being brought onto the roster on a 10-day contract.

An undrafted free agent in 2019, the 23-year-old has spent the majority of his time playing in the G League, most recently with the Deleware Blue Coats.

His impressive averages of 15.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals on 41 percent shooting from downtown in 2020-21 earned him recognition from NBA front offices, and Presti was the one who was quickest to snatch him up.

The OKC Thunder could certainly use for more depth at the one, and taking a low-risk chance on Robinson seems like a no-brainer idea, especially at this point in the season.

OKC Thunder beneficiary No. 3) Darius Miller

The OKC Thunder have clearly been taking part in a youth movement all season, but they still have some elders found on the active roster and the 31-year-old Darius Miller could be one of the most impacted in a positive light by Jackson’s departure.

Though only playing in 17 games thus far into the season, it appears Daigneault likes to use the wing from time to time. Now, with 16.5 minutes up for grabs, Miller could be seen being used more heavily as a much-needed floor spacer (shooting 41 percent from deep on the season).

Though we stated that the Thunder are a team focusing on their youth, every squad could use for some veteran presences to help out on the sidelines, in the locker room and, once they get a bit more competitive, on the hardwood during in-game action.

Perhaps giving the seven-year veteran an uptick in playing time could give this team a better understanding of what they have in Miller, and if he could be viewed as a presence worth bringing back during the offseason on a low-cost contract.