OKC Thunder: What to watch for in preseason opener

OKC Thunder small-ball lineups are the new norm, who will lead the charge?

With the Oklahoma City Thunder trying to pull off their all-playmakers lineup, they will be all-in on positionless basketball. Their center position will likely be primarily occupied by Isaiah Roby and rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

The minutes load between the two will be decided by a razor’s edge, and that begins to be decided today. Roby has the leg up based on experience and he is receiving rave reviews from everyone around OKC Thunder training camp.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is an interesting rookie who has a better three-point shot and could walk into the NBA with better defensive ability down low than Roby. He was a standout during the NBA Vegas Summer League for the Thunder and should receive a ton of minutes tonight and throughout the NBA season.

Each player has a legitimate chance to label themselves as a key part of the Thunder future with how they play throughout this season. As the organization owns three first-round picks this season (If the Thunder land in the lottery as projected), the roster turnover will leave Presti with tough decisions to make.

Two redundant players might find themselves in a roster battle for a few seasons as the team is hopefully in the process of putting their finishing touches on this rebuild, seeing how they perform now will be an interesting storyline to track throughout the rebuild process.

There is a path for each player to play so well that they are each heavy minute pieces on an OKC Thunder team that wants to win a title in the future. How do you project Roby and Robinson-Earl panning out?