OKC Thunder: Player grades vs. Pelicans feature Gabriel Deck’s debut
OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:
No OKC Thunder player reached the benchmark of 20 points in this match and to be frank this match looked more like a tired group rather than exception defense from the Pelicans.
A-. . PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. THEO MALEDON
The rookie had some great moments in the game and continues to showcase his seeming veteran-type ability. There are nights he reminds us he’s still only 19 but I often forget he’s still a rookie.
Multiple times versus the Pelicans he made the right play and his defense on Lonzo Ball (who for the record has been feasting of late) was stellar.
Maledon finished with 16 points on 5 of 12 shooting including 2 of 6 triples adding a rebound, four assists, and TWO BLOCKS!
Moving forward, depending on what happens in the draft, he figures to be the reserve point guard and all this experience is going to pay dividends.
LU DORT. A. . PG. Oklahoma City Thunder
Talk about a brutal defensive assignment. Mark Daigneault had Luguentz Dort guarding Brandon Ingram initially but when none of the Thunder bigs could slow down Zion he found himself being moved over to guard him.
For the record, Ingram is 6’8″ and Zion is 6’7″, 284 pounds, and built like a truck. While Dort is also blessed with a muscular physique (215 pounds) he’s only 6’3″ it’s just unfair to expect him to take on two athletes of that size and skillset without some help from his teammates. Hence my rant on Brown below.
In spite of the tough assignment, Dort was still the top point-getter for the team with 17 points adding three rebounds and an assist. He shot 5 of 12 from the field and hit 50 percent of his 3-pointers (4 of 8). Numerous times he was left wide open but Bazley, Brown, and others failed to get him the ball.
It could be the wear and tear of losing but some of the fundamental aspects of the game aren’t being delivered. And, when Dort is putting his body on the line constantly to defend the toughest opponent his teammates have to recognize where he is on the court and get him the ball (especially when his shot is falling!).