Grading the Oklahoma City Thunder season: The starting five

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl showed extreme value during his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder

The OKC Thunder got a steal with the 32nd pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, trading up with the New York Knicks to snag the Kansas City, Missouri native who spent his childhood driving down to Oklahoma City Hornets games to watch the likes of Chris Paul and LeBron James.

The Villanova product earned a shoutout from now-retired Wildcats head coach Jay Wright for his intense work to rehab his fractured foot and return for the final handful of games for the Thunder. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was sidelined from January 31st through March 26th with a right foot fracture.

That led to his rookie campaign only including 49 games, 36 of which were starts. he averaged 22-minutes per game, seven points, five rebounds, an assist, and over half a steal per contest. he shot 41-percent from the floor and 35-percent from three-point land.

The 21-year-old 6’9 center provides versatility, playmaking, switchability, and floor spacing all things Mark Daigneault loves for his system.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was in the 53rd percentile in corner threes (35-percent), and 58th percentile in non-corner triples (34-percent). Those are good enough marks to be a heavy use playoff player in the NBA to go along with his defense. Where Robinson-Earl can improve though is around the rim shooting just 59-percent for a small-ball center. In the mid-range things look bleak as well on paper, 31-percent.

Though, if you go back and watch the film, especially as the rookie learned how to play down low in the NBA, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has the process down, makes the right moves and decisions, and eventually, the shots will fall…we hope. How would I project his game? A playoff rotation player, which for a second-round pick is like winning the lottery.

Grade: B due to the small sample size, a fantastic year.

This concludes the grades for the starting five of the Oklahoma City Thunder! Leave your grades in the comment section down below! Stay on the lookout for the bench grades, veteran grades, and misfit grades!