The for sure non-stars on the OKC Thunder roster
When deciding who has the best chance to be a budding star next to the Thunder’s new fashion icon, before you can rank the players you must first narrow your list. Thus, the “for sure non-stars tier” is born.
Now, before you begin typing in the comments and going to bat for your favorite team and players, just because you can not become a star does not mean the player’s role is not valuable on this year’s team or beyond.
Despite Sam Presti flying to Minnesota to get Mike Muscala to sign on the dotted line, it is abundantly clear he is not, at 30 years old, going to turn into an NBA star and take the league by storm. While he will serve as a leader and mentor to young players, and help others reach their potential, his play on the court will not be that of a number two option.
Derrick Favors is the other obvious answer for this category as the 30-year-old big man is still a quality option off the bench, or even in the starting role he should see in Oklahoma City, he is far from anyone’s top-25 player’s list.
Even at just 26, cross Kenrich Williams, Paul Watson Jr, and Gabriel Deck off the list while you are at it. While each has shown flashes at the NBA level of being a productive swingman, or high priority bench piece, nothing about their games screams potential star, though there is a spot for each on an NBA roster for a long time.
Charlie Brown Jr, who might not even make the squad as a 24-year-old, and a two-way player who the team used a 55th overall pick on in the 2021 NBA draft, Aaron Wiggins, will be a fun 3-and-D specialist but not a franchise-changing piece.
Add in Ty Jerome, though his playmaking and shooting make him a potential 6th man someday, Vit Krejci just due to the lack of information on him, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. JRE is going to be a Nick Collison type of player, which a chance to have such an impact he hangs his jersey in the rafters if he sticks around long enough…but he will not be a star.
As someone who has made the case for Nick Collison to be an NBA Hall of Famer, I do not just toss around the Collison comparison.
Lastly, the most painful one for my band giving that I am the founder of Roby Island is Isaiah Roby. I enjoy watching him play each game, he has proven he belongs in this league for a long time, and for a second-round pick that is enough.
Though Roby is just 23 years old, his development path is not star caliber.
The no chance stars: Isaiah Roby, Ty Jerome, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Ty Jerome, Charlie Brown Jr., Aaron Wiggins, Paul Watson Jr, Gabriel Deck, Kenrich Williams, Derrick Favors, and Mike Muscala.