Yes, it’s true, the OKC Thunder have yet to win a single game in this year's Summer League.
While this last outing ended in true nail-biting fashion, OKC is now 0-3 in Vegas and 0-6 if you count Salt Lake City action.Â
However, Summer League isn’t about wins and losses. It’s about deciphering who can make an impact down the road. Fortunately, both of the Thunder's first-round picks have made strides from where they started earlier this month.Â
Now, while Aday Mara had Thunder fans convinced they got their Victor Wembanyama stopper, it was the man Sam Presti traded up for who could be the difference maker in a future seven-game bout with San Antonio.Â
Bennett Stirtz is the type of player Thunder were missing against Spurs
With Jalen Williams playing in only five games this past postseason and Ajay Mitchell missing the last four games of the Spurs’ series, OKC was desperate for secondary creation outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.Â
While Alex Caruso put up a valiant effort to fill that role, the reality is that his skill set is more of a connector than an initiator.Â
In response, OKC decided to draft another playmaker to deepen its collection of players who could take the pressure off SGA.
To be clear, the Thunder, most likely, aren’t expecting Bennett Stirtz to usurp Williams or Mitchell’s on-ball duties. However, in the instances when one or both of them are out, OKC will have another capable playmaking guard to play Robin to Gilgeous-Alexander’s Batman.
Stirtz was the lead man throughout his college career. At Drake and then at Iowa, Stirtz ranked first and second in points produced in the Missouri Valley Conference and Big Ten. He also ranked 11th and ninth in usage percentage.Â
Long story short, Stirtz knows how to take over the reins for a team. Of course, in Summer League, he hasn’t yet looked like the offensive engine he was in college. His per-game averages of 14.4 points and 2.6 assists aren’t awe-inspiring, but the process is convincing enough.
That said, his decisions are quick and within the flow of the offense. If he gets cut off on a drive, he seamlessly flows into a dribble handoff. If his defender loses sight of him for a moment, he quickly finds the open space on a cut or relocation from deep.
The ball rarely sticks, but when it does, you can count on it looking like this lob pass.
All of this is to say that Stirtz has an undergrad in primary facilitator, and now we are getting to see what he’d look like playing alongside higher-level talent. His organic offensive approach both on- and off-ball has been on full display this summer, and that is what the Thunder wanted to reinforce in this draft.
The ball club already has their top man in SGA. Now, they have three other players in J-Dud, Mitchell, and Stirtz who can capitalize on the two-time MVP's gravity.
On the inevitable path through San Antonio to the Thunder's next Larry O'Brien Trophy, trading up for Stirtz could pay off tenfold.
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