We at TI believe there are a few players on the OKC Thunder that deserve an increased role during this final month of regular-season action
It’s all systems go when it comes to the tank for the OKC Thunder.
Despite surprising many during the first half of the 2020-21 campaign, boasting a record of 15-21 and finding themselves legitimately in the running for a play-in tournament bid, since the All-Star break Oklahoma City has dropped 14 of their 20 games and has fallen considerably in the Western Conference standings, as they now hold the third-worst record at 20-35.
Though to some this alteration in the team’s success rate may be a bit disappointing, as many had shifted away from their desire to see a tank campaign due to their impressive early-season production, to others things are all going according to plan, as the ultimate goal is to build a championship contender, and the more losses they cultivate the better their chances are at landing a top tier talent in this year’s draft.
Frankly, no matter how you feel about this aforementioned matter, there are still 17 games remaining on the season for the Thunder, which means there’s still ample opportunity to see the team take to the hardwood before the offseason.
With the fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still out with no set date for a return and Al Horford will be kept on the sidelines for the remainder of the year as Mark Daigneault looks to get the team’s youngsters some extended play, OKC has an interesting opportunity to experiment with their rotations and lineups during this final month of action.
In these final outings, we believe the team should strongly consider giving two specific players bigger roles, if nothing more than to simply see what they may have in them and if they could be considered long-term commodities:
OKC Thunder No. 1) Tony Bradley
Coming into the year, one of the biggest weaknesses found within the rotation was at the center position, specifically in regard to its lackluster depth.
However, now four months later it appears that the position is arguably their deepest, what with them finding diamond in the rough type players throughout the year in Isaiah Roby and Moses Brown.
Less than a month ago, the OKC Thunder went about and added yet another player to the pivot rotation in Tony Bradley who, upon his arrival to the Sooner State, received high praise from his former Philadelphia 76ers teammate, Joel Embiid.
Since his debut, the 23-year-old former first-round pick has progressively seen his playing time increase and, in turn, his per-game stats have gone up with it.
Now, 10 games in, Bradley is finding himself logging 19.4 minutes per outing and putting up 9.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and just shy of a block on 65 percent shooting from the floor.
To put this into perspective, translated into per-36 minute conversions the fourth-year pro is posting 16.9 points, 13.4 boards, and 1.7 blocks.
At this point, we’re quite aware of what the OKC Thunder appear to have in the likes of current starting center, Brown, hence why he was inked to a long-term contract late last month.
Now, as we enter this final stretch of games, perhaps it could be in the best interest of the team to slowly decrease the minutes and role of the 21-year-old, whose status with the team seems safe moving forward, and, instead, push more playing time and importance onto Bradley.
Showcasing great mobility, rebounding skills, a knack for protecting the rim, and great size (6-10 with a 7-4 wingspan), Bradley managed to play himself into the first round four years ago after spending just one season at the collegiate level with the Tar Heels.
Entering restricted free agency this coming offseason, the youthful center could only benefit from an increased role during these final 17 games, while such a boost in playing time could give the OKC Thunder a better understanding of what they have in the big man and whether they should consider bringing him back for 2021-22.
OKC Thunder player No. 2) Ty Jerome
Like we mentioned in the introduction slide, SGA is expected to be out for quite some time as he continues to recover from plantar fasciitis, which leaves an average of 33.7 minutes left up for grabs within the rotation.
With this, it presents a perfect opportunity for second-year pro, Ty Jerome.
Acquired in the offseason deal that sent Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns, the point guard was viewed as a mere throw-in in the deal — a sweetener if you will.
The 24th pick in the 2019 draft, Jerome had a relatively underwhelming rookie season with Phoenix, posting measly per-game averages of 3.3 points, 1.4 assists, and 1.5 rebounds on 34 percent shooting from the field and 28 percent shooting from deep.
Upon arrival in Oklahoma City, the 23-year-old was sent down to the team’s G League affiliate team, the OKC Blue, where he posted 12.1 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in nine appearances before being called up to the varsity team.
From there, Jerome has worked his way into meaningful minutes with the OKC Thunder for, as things currently stand, the sophomore is posting 10 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and an impressive 40 percent shooting from deep.
At 6-5, the youngster is able to play either backcourt position, which helps this team with the absence of Gilgeous-Alexander.
Still under contract through next season (followed by a team option in 2022-23), Presti and co. have the option to either keep him along for the rebuilding ride or package him in a future deal for assets potentially viewed as more desirable.
Either way, increasing Ty Jerome’s role could stand to benefit the Thunder in the long term no matter what path they choose to take.