The OKC Thunder are set for their third of four preseason games this time against the Denver Nuggets tipping off at 7 p.m. at the Paycom Center. The two squads will meet again on Thursday on the second night of a back-to-back, though the series will shift to Tulsa, Oklahoma at the BOK Center.
Mark Daigneault met with the media pregame as the Oklahoma City Thunder announce another starting lineup change as well as an injury update. The Thunder will be without Kenrich Williams (toe), Vit Krejci (Visa), and Mamadi Diakite (hip) tonight.
OKC Thunder announce starting lineup change, Mamadi Diakite hip fracture
The Oklahoma City Thunder bench boss, Mark Daigneault, announced the third different starting lineup in as many preseason games. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, and Darius Bazley have remained starting five constants, the five spot has been occupied by Isaiah Roby, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and now Derrick Favors.
Favors, an 11 year NBA Veteran, will make his season debut for the OKC Thunder on Wednesday night after spending ten years in Utah, a year with the Nets, and a season with the Pelicans, the Georgia Tech product now joins Oklahoma City.
For his career, Derrick Favors is a ten-point, seven-rebound, one assist per game player who shoots 20-percent from deep. Favors career-high from beyond the arc is 30-percent from deep during the 2016-17 season. Seeing how he gels with the Thunder starting five will be interesting in preseason game number three.
Given his age (30) and the state of the OKC Thunder, it makes sense for Sam Presti to explore trades involving Derrick Favors around the deadline. As contending teams look to flush out their roster for a playoff run, a veteran big on a team-friendly deal (9.7-million dollars this year, a 10.1-million dollar player option next year) could be very valuable.
One of the Oklahoma City Thunder roster hopefuls is Mamadi Diakite, on Sunday against the Bucks Diakite suffered a hip injury that is now being described as a hip fracture. This puts him behind the 8-ball when it comes to surviving cut-down day on October 18th.
If I was Prest, I would keep Diakite and move on from another veteran on this roster, but this injury certainly throws another wrinkle into the mix.
In all likelihood, Diakite will be waived on Monday, and the team will hope he is snuck onto the organization’s G-League affiliate the OKC Blue.