OKC Thunder: Player grades led by return of Bazley, Dort in loss to 76ers

OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:

It feels unfair to ding Pokusevski for what amounted to less than nine minutes of game time, which is why I won’t.

Poku took two shots in the game and missed both, but he’s never really been someone who starts hot, so he’s forgiven for that. He did manage to pull down three rebounds during his time on the court, which counts for something.

Normally, I’d give Bazley a B or even a low A for finishing with 17 points on 58.3 percent shooting, especially when he went 3-for-4 from deep and came up with nine boards and five assists. But as previously mentioned, Bazley had an awful night as far as ball security is concerned.

That can’t be overlooked.

Moses Brown has given us something to cheer about lately, but he was seldom used during his 19 minutes on the court on Saturday.

When he did shoot, he was shooting it well. He finished 3-for-5 for six points and six rebounds.

We’ve grown accustomed to seeing Brown get a more significant role, and he’s deserving of every minute and shot attempt he gets, but with Bazley and Dort back on the floor, it’s not too surprising to see the ball in his hands less.

There wasn’t much dropoff for Dort. In fact, the rest seemed to do him some good.

Before his hiatus, Dort was anything but consistent and, although one game doesn’t change that, it was good to see him on the court choosing his spots and not forcing a ton of random shots.

Dort finished with 15 points on 50 percent shooting while also coming up with five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.

Welcome back!

Theo Maledon is one of the more confusing Thunder rookies.

At times, he has been phenomenal and has appeared destined for greatness. Then there are nights like Saturday where Maledon made just 27.3 percent of his shots for eight points.

On the plus side, Maledon was able to take care of the ball, turning it over just two times. But on the other side, he didn’t have his best night on the court.