OKC Thunder player grades from loss to understaffed Pacers

Best OKC Thunder reserve performance:

Kenrich Williams is a beast for the OKC Thunder coming off the bench. He’s a huge asset to have in those situations where the starters need a bit of rest because he is more than capable of becoming the primary scorer when the Thunder need him.

Williams played over 27 minutes against the Pacers and shot 50 percent from the floor, including 66.7 percent from deep. He scored 15 points in the game. You can’t be mad about that.

But Williams is also an asset to the Thunder in every other area of the game.

Williams finished the game with seven rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass. He also dealt two assists, came up with two steals, and finished with one block.

He was active everywhere. He is a future star for the Thunder.

Best opponent performance:

It’s hard to argue about Brogdon’s impact on the Pacers. The guard scored a team-high 29 points on 47.8 percent shooting and managed to find the time to lead the team in rebounding, where he snagged 15. He was active in the passing game to top it off, dealing seven assists to finish three shy of a triple-double.

The Pacers lose this game without Brogdon.

In closing:

It’s not easy to watch the team you love lose. It’s even harder when that team loses 12 games in a row.

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But it’s where we’re at and where we’ll be for the foreseeable future. The OKC Thunder aren’t built to win now, which is something we’ve all accepted. And if you insert Luguentz Dort or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into these games, the Thunder probably wins 60 percent of them.

The reality is, the Thunder need to lose, and who knew they’d master it so quickly?

While Gilgeous-Alexander is relegated to fan duties alongside Al Horford and occasionally Dort, the Thunder will continue to be terrible.

But time flies, and in a few years, we’ll forget how bad this team was and begin embracing that championship mindset all over again.

Click here to view the full box score.

The OKC Thunder will be back in action on Friday when they host the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. CT.