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OKC Thunder: NBA G-League does not want Blue playing in Paycom Center

By Rylan Stiles

Lindy Waters III #43 of the Oklahoma City Blue plays against the Delaware Blue Coats during the NBA G League Winter Showcase at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on December 22, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Lindy Waters III #43 of the Oklahoma City Blue plays against the Delaware Blue Coats during the NBA G League Winter Showcase at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on December 22, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /
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The OKC Thunder have invested a lot into their NBA G-League program. The Thunder routinely calls up and sends down players to the NBA G-League for various developmental and repetition purposes. Take a look at the current Thunder roster, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann, Lu Dort, Theo Maledon, Aaron Wiggins, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Isaiah Roby, Vit Krejci, Ty Jerome, and Lindy Waters III all have gone through the NBA G-Leauge with the OKC Blue. Not to mention two-way, ten-day, and hardship call ups like Moses Brown, Josh Hall, Melvin Frazier, Justin Robinson, Charlie Brown Jr, and Jaylen Hoard just in the last few years.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have always prioritized the NBA G-Leauge, even promoting their head coach, Mark Daigneault, from the OKC Blue. The organization’s NBA G-League team has spent time in Tulsa as the 66ers, before moving to OKC rebranding as the Blue. The team use to play in the Cox Convention Center, across the street from the Thunder’s arena. This gave easy access for the Thunder to shuffle players around to the G-League.

OKC Thunder battling with NBA G-League to keep the OKC Blue in the Paycom Center, G-League is worried about the perception

This season, as the Cox Convention Center turns into a content studio, the OKC Blue began playing games in the Paycom Center, the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This led to plenty of empty arenas, day games, and doubleheaders, but also led to a ton of development. Something Thunder General Manager Sam Presti thinks should be at the front of mind to the G-League.

The NBA G-League prefers the OKC Blue to play in a smaller arena to allow the smaller crowd to appear more full, but the Oklahoma City Thunder do not want to surrender the easy access. On more than one occasion the Thunder shuffled a player to the Blue for a noon tip-off before recalling them to the Thunder hours later to sit on the bench with the NBA squad. Some players even double-dipped playing in a G-League game and NBA game on the same day.

We will have to wait and see how this issue gets resolved but there are not many close-to-home options for the Thunder to deploy the Blue. Maybe a return to Tulsa, maybe just further north to Wichita, Kansas, or maybe Sam Presti wins the battle, and the Blue stay in OKC for another season.

Next. Lu Dort is thinking playoffs. dark

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