Josh Giddey lifts young Thunder core over Pistons in preseason

The Oklahoma City Thunder played their fifth preseason game on Tuesday night, traveling to Detroit to take on the young Pistons core. The Thunder were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Mike Muscala, and Kenrich Williams but other than that, they saw the rest of their squad take the hardwood. Josh Giddey lifted the OKC Thunder past the young Pistons.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was with the team in Detroit, and as he has in each game since Wednesday, the superstar guard was shooting around in the pregame and working out. Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault made it known that SGA is progressing well. The stars seem to align for Gilgeous-Alexander to participate in the Thunder’s opening night in Minnesota on October 19th.

The Oklahoma City Thunder get past the Pistons, improving to 4-1 in the preseason behind a great game from Josh Giddey

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been pleased with how Josh Giddey is shooting the basketball, working with new shooting coach Chip Engelland, regarded as one of the best in the business, is already paying dividends.

In the preseason, Giddey is shooting 50 percent from deep on three attempts per game. Mix that with his improved dribbling, elite-level playmaking, and eyebrow-raising defense, and the former NBL star can turn into a state-side star if this holds.

Granted, the 20-year-old guard will not shoot the trey ball at a 50 percent clip in the regular season, but with his other playmaking and rim-finishing traits, the OKC Thunder only need him to reach that league average territory of 35 percent or better.

The 6th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft turned in 16 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, on 42 percent shooting from the floor and 4-for-8 from deep.

Despite missing Chet Holmgren for the entire season, the Oklahoma City Thunder still roster three rookies that have all shown positive flashes this preseason.

Jalen Williams logged 16 points, seven rebounds, a trio of assists, and three steals. He also drew a charge on the defensive end while shooting 70 percent from the floor. Williams was selected 12th, and with the 11th selection OKC traded three future first-round picks for Ousmane Dieng who has looked more advanced than me, and many people I have spoken with believed he would.

Dieng looks fluid on both ends of the floor, and with each game, he is gaining confidence on the offensive end. His defense was a staple in the NBL last season, and even while he was strugglingly mightily on the offensive end, has continued to stand out at the NBA level.

Ousmane Dieng has added excellent offensive flashes as a ballhandler, playmaker, and rim finisher, and even improving his jump shot shooting 50 percent from three-point land on 3.5 attempts per game. In this game, Dieng posted 13 points, two rebounds, and an assist shooting 83 percent from the floor and 3-for-3 from deep.

Perhaps the best game we have seen from Darius Bazley in a long time, the 2019 first-round pick did not attempt a single three-point shot, scoring 15 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out an assist while shooting 71 percent from the floor in 29 minutes,

Bazley absorbed contact well, getting to the line for eight free throw attempts and converting five of them, on the defensive end Darius Bazley swatted away two shots.