OKC Thunder Game Grades: A dominant showing against the Spurs

Grading the OKC Thunder bench:

Kenrich Williams finally made his season debut and did not skip a beat. Williams came in near the end of the first quarter, and it took him only a few seconds to get a deflection.

He threw down a second-quarter lob from Cason Wallace in transition to alleviate concerns about his health. Williams’ night ended with nine points.

He also picked up a technical foul for getting into it with Zach Collins after he committed a hard foul against Vasilije Micic.

Isaiah Joe’s most notable play of the night was taking Wembanyama to the ground as he got a steal and ignited a Thunder fast break. That was a symbol of how the Thunder played all night.

Joe still did his usual damage from the outside, nailing a couple of shots from beyond the arc to help the Thunder pull away in the third quarter.

In a game involving Holmgren and Wembanyama, Cason Wallace made his case for being the best rookie on the floor. His defensive prowess helped the Thunder get on the break and made life difficult for the Spurs.

One of those plays came in the fourth quarter. Wallace blocked Jeremy Sochan’s jumper and nailed a 3-pointer on the other end.

Wallace’s night we ended with two steals and two blocks.

Well, not everyone can have a perfect game. Jaylin Williams was an active defender and grabbed a couple of steals but never got his offense going.

Williams finished 1-of-7 from the floor and seemed to need more confidence on a few of those looks.

Vasilije Micic has struggled to work his way into the rotation this season, but that may change after Tuesday night. Micic showed off his playmaking abilities against the Spurs with four assists.

While Micic can run the offense and set up teammates for easy baskets, his defense has held him back. But in a game where he does not have to match up with offensive weapons, his role is easy to live with.

Incomplete Games

The other four players who saw the floor for Oklahoma City (Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski, Lindy Waters III, and Aaron Wiggins) played all of their minutes after the game was well out of reach, so they needed more material to grade. But Pokusevski and Mann earn an A for one play late in the game.

Pokusevski faked out Devonte Graham on a drive and kicked Mann in the corner. As Mann went up for the 3-pointer, Graham stared at the basket, anticipating Pokusevski’s shot that never came.