The rest of the OKC Thunder roster has pressure on them to some degree, but the roster bubble is striving to just stay in the league this season
Again, there is not much pressure to be had in Oklahoma City this season, the organization is playing with house money. Either this team will be fun, exciting, and surprise people on their way to a scrappy playoff appearance, or they end up in the lottery again in a loaded NBA Draft Class to add to this already great young core.
Though, the last group of players with true pressure on them to perform this season is the “roster bubble.” We have already dove into our first roster projection of the offseason, and the names on the chopping block have not changed. Vit Krejci, Theo Maledon, Ty Jerome, and Derrick Favors will have an intense training camp battle. Each has a case to be made to survive the roster cut, but the Thunder have to release three standard NBA contracts before October 18th.
While Derrick Favors might find his way onto a team if cut as a veteran big man, Ty Jerome might be worth a flyer if a team believes they can rekindle his shooting stroke, and Maledon is still just 21 years old, rosters are nearly set at the time the Thunder will be making these decisions. Injuries happen and teams might make room for one of these three, but it will not be a sure bet.
For Vit Krejci, many did not even have him listed on their big boards during the 2020 NBA Draft, so it was surprising to see him selected with the 37th overall pick coming off an ACL tear. I feel fairly confident if waived, Krejci would not find a new NBA home immediately. Though, as noted previously, the Thunder have invested in him, and he did flash improvement during Summer League. Do not count Vit Krejci out just yet.
Sure there is pressure on Josh Giddey to duplicate and improve on his rookie season, Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams have pressure due to their shiny new contracts, Aleksej Pokusevski needs to continue showing improvement, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is looking to become a first-time All-Star, but this OKC Thunder squad does not have a ton of pressure on them.
Which players are you most excited to watch this season, and who has the most pressure to perform?