There's a reason why the OKC Thunder traded up in this past June's NBA Draft to snatch up combo guard Bennett Stirtz with the 16 overall pick.
However, while most other teams would have done so with the intention of having him play to his strengths at the next level, Oklahoma City seems to be hoping that they can lean on other, less-utilized areas of his game.
Already, it seems to be playing out rather nicely for the Thunder.
Despite having established himself as one of the highest usage and most on-ball heavy talents the collegiate game had to offer last season, coach Mark Daigneault has publicly stated that he intends to use him more as an off-ball threat with the Thunder.
While the headman acknowledges that such a role may be "a little new for him," Tuesday's preseason opener showed he's more than capable of excelling anyway.
Bennett Stirtz isn't going to play traditional role as a member of Thunder
In his preseason debut with the Thunder, Stirtz took on a heavy off-ball role on the offensive end, especially while guys ahead of him in the backcourt pecking order, like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, were out there with him.
11 of his 15 points came off the catch, with nine of them coming in catch-and-shoot three-point fashion.
Needless to say, this is a great sign that he can serve as a tremendous complementary piece to surround superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with, as he, along with the Thunder offensive scheme as a whole, is heavily predicated on drive-and-kick passing.
Last season, Oklahoma City ranked within the top 10 in catch-and-shoot attempts from beyond the arc and placed as high as second in this particular area during their deep three-round playoff run.
Now, though coach Daigneault is certainly correct that Stirtz traditionally served as an on-ball weapon during his time in the NCAA, especially during his final season with the Iowa Hawkeyes last year, sprinkled throughout was a highly efficient off-ball shooting game, particularly in 2025-26 when he cashed in on roughly 52 percent of his catch-and-shoot looks.
This kind of skill set will be desperately needed this coming campaign after the Thunder offloaded some of their most reliable, go-to off-the-catch shooters from last year, namely Isaiah Joe, who was traded to the Detroit Pistons in a salary-shedding deal earlier this offseason.
Only a couple of weeks into training camp and after just one preseason game, coach Daigneault already believes he's seen Stirtz's "best day” since entering the pros. Hopefully this is only just the beginning of what could be a tremendous rookie campaign for the first-round baller.
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