Grading OKC Thunder Players for their December Performances

Rest of the OKC Thunder Bench

Jaylin Williams appeared in four games during the month of December with the Thunder. He averaged 17 minutes in those four games while posting two points, five rebounds, and two assists per game. He also played in four games with the Oklahoma City Blue, most notably on December 27th when he registered a triple-double on December 27th while also snagging three steals. He was in the starting lineup for the first time when the Thunder took on the Charlotte Hornets on December 29th. He should continue to see elevated minutes through the first week or two of January as the Thunder wait for Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aleksej Pokusevski to return.

Lindy Waters was only active for six out of the Thunder’s 14 games in December. He played in five games in a row between December 16th and December 23rd. In those five games, Waters averaged 11 minutes and scored three points per contest. He shot two three-pointers per appearance and made 44 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

He’s also played in seven G-League games while scoring at least twenty points in his last three appearances. Waters is unlikely to see his playing time increase with the Thunder unless there’s an injury, although nothing is outside the realm of possibility with the way that Mark Daigneault likes to change up his rotations on a regular basis.

Dieng went down with a wrist injury in the middle of the month. Before then, he appeared in two games with the Thunder and averaged eight points, four rebounds, one assist, and two steals per game. He made three of his four attempts from behind the three-point line and six of nine shots from the field. He scored twenty points in three of his five G-League appearances and only had one game with less than nine rebounds. Dieng also averaged two blocks per game with the Blue during the month of December. His future is bright. Hopefully, he heals soon.

Omoruyi appeared in nine games with the Thunder during December. He averaged five points and three rebounds per game during 12 minutes. Omoryi shot 43 percent from the field on four attempts per game. His lone start came on December 17th against the Memphis Grizzlies, one day after he played 21 minutes and scored 14 points against the Timberwolves. His offensive rating of 94 isn’t impressive, but his defensive rating of 108 is lower than the rating he achieved in October or November. Omoruyi has had a few notable moments with the Thunder this season, but his role likely won’t expand far beyond where it currently is.