Grading Thunder Players After Monday’s Loss to Detroit
By Brady Ross
OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:
. SG. Oklahoma City Thunder. LU DORT. C-
Lu Dort continued his season-long slump on offense on Monday night. He shot 3-12 overall and 1-6 from three, scoring only seven points in the process. Despite these struggles, Dort took multiple threes early in the shot clock during Monday’s game. Dort’s value is greatest on the defensive end, and he continues to make positive contributions on that end of the floor, pitching in two steals and one block.
D+. . PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. JOSH GIDDEY
Josh Giddey doesn’t look comfortable right now. He continues to miss shots at the rim and turn the ball over awkwardly. He was benched for most of the fourth quarter once again on Monday night, coming out of the game for good with nine minutes left even though the Thunder were only down seven points. Perhaps the most concerning element from Giddey’s recent play is his struggle to co-exist alongside Shai.
G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER. A+.
Shai’s scoring was down on Saturday in Milwaukee, but he bounced back in Detroit on Monday with a 33-point game on only 23 shots. Once again, SGA scored 30 without attempting a single three. He helped out on the defensive end as well. He finished the game with one steal and four blocks – three of which were in the first quarter. He only had two assists, but likely would have had several more if his teammates could have helped him out by knocking down their shots.
C+. . F/C. Oklahoma City Thunder. JEREMIAH ROBINSON-EARL
JRE got the start once again, but he only played 15 minutes in this game (including zero minutes in the fourth quarter). Only Javale McGee is playing fewer minutes as a regular starter so far this season. JRE only made one of his four three-point attempts, but he did secure two offensive rebounds and added in a block on the defensive end.
JALEN WILLIAMS. B+. . G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder
Only SGA played more minutes on Monday night than Jalen Williams, who was starting for the second time this season. During his 31 minutes, J-Dub scored six points on 3-6 shooting and added in two rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal. He also played solid defense, especially in the first-quarter matchup against Bojan Bogdanovic that led to a forced three in the corner as the shot clock expired. J-Dub looked comfortable during his time on the court and hopefully, he’ll continue to see heavy minutes going forward.
Next, we’ll take a look at the Thunder’s best bench performer. We’ll also highlight one key player from the Detroit side.