OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:
Thunder fans understand that Lu Dort’s value doesn’t always show up in the box score. For example, he drew multiple offensive fouls tonight because of his ability to fight around screens. Dort also brought down three offensive rebounds (two of which led to Thunder scores). His offensive woes continued with a 2-8 shooting performance and two missed three-pointers. Dort is shooting less than 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from three through the first 16 games of the season. Ironically, the only time the Thunder didn’t score on one of Dort’s offensive rebounds was when Lu took the shot himself.
Giddey was absolutely dominant for portions of the game tonight. He also looked completely terrible at moments. Giddey turned the ball over twice and was blocked twice during the first six and a half-minutes of the game. He looked slightly more comfortable during the second quarter, but he didn’t truly catch fire until after halftime. Giddey had 16 points on 8-13 shooting with 5 rebounds and 7 assists during the second half. His choice to shoot a three-pointer with time left on the shot clock when the Thunder were only down four points at the 2:05 mark of the fourth quarter was questionable at best. Overall, Giddey’s performance on Friday was encouraging given the ongoing slump the second-year player has experienced during the first month of the season.
This was possibly the best all-around game of Jalen Williams’ young career. His 16 points were a new career high and his six rebounds tie a career-high. He also dished out seven assists and added two steals on the defensive end. Williams hit two three-pointers for the third straight game after only hitting two three-pointers total in his first eight games after returning from injury. All this comes in what’s only his twelfth career game. The future is bright for J-Dub in OKC.
This was probably SGA’s worst game of the season. Memphis clearly made guarding Shai their top priority on defense. They frequently sent double teams his way in an attempt to cut down on his drives. Shai had an uncharacteristically inefficient game on offense and looked sluggish and disinterested at times on the defensive end. Thunder fans shouldn’t expect to see these types of performances often. It’s likely that Shai was simply gassed on the last game of a long road trip. He should bounce back on Monday night at home after multiple days of rest.
The only negative from Poku’s game on Friday was an ankle roll with 1:43 left in the second quarter that forced him to miss the remainder of the game. Before his early exit, Poku was 4-4 from the field with two made three-pointers and three blocks. He could have had four blocks in the first quarter if not for a questionable goaltending call against Jaren Jackson Jr. Hopefully the ankle injury is nothing serious, but don’t be surprised if Aleksej shows up on the injury report before Monday’s game against the Knicks. He has been on a tear recently, and it would be a shame if he was forced to miss time.