Thunder Olympic Round-Up: How current and former players have fared in Paris

The 2024 Paris Olympics have officially tipped off, with every men's team playing one pool game over the past two nights. With 12 nations competing for the prestigious gold medal at this year's games, so many current and former NBA players are suiting up for their countries.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have their own stamp on basketball at Paris, with current or former players featuring in six of the 12 total nations. It's an exciting time for OKC fans to see some familiar faces in different roles, reminiscent of how they played in a Thunder uniform or not.

Every country has played one game in pool play, and here's how all these Thunder players have fared with their countries so far.

Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort

In Canada's opening Group A game vs Greece, there were so many things for Thunder fans to be excited about.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has on further cemented himself as one of the best players on the planet. He scored an efficient 21 points on nearly 73 percent true shooting.

He was crucial for Team Canada as he routinely dictated the offense, attracting multiple doubles throughout the game and consistently made the right reads.

Canada put away former NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece, 86-79, off the back of some big time shot-making from Gilgeous-Alexander down the stretch.

With Canada up by just two points and under a minute on the clock, the ball ended up in Gilgeous-Alexander's hands. He utilised a brilliant between the legs dribble into a hesitation that effortlessly created space for him. He then put it back between his legs and finished with a beautiful bank floater off the glass and over the out-stretched arm of Antetokounmpo.

It became clear that any team that does not throw two bodies at Shai will be playing with fire, as he often torched single coverage with his clever use of hesitations and impressive ability to draw free throws.

It is also worth noting Gilgeous-Alexander shot two of three beyond the arc, with one being unassisted. In what was potentially his most impressive highlight of the night, he found himself on the perimeter one-on-one with Dinos Mitoglou.

Gilgeous-Alexander used his unpredictable pace and a dazzling display of dribble combos into a step-back three. Bucket. The shot gave Team Canada a 10 point cushion late in the fourth.

Even when he was seeing the doubles Greece was deploying, Gilgeous-Alexander remained patient and controlled the tempo. He finished with seven assists to just two turnovers. Four of his assists were on three point shots, showcasing his ability to see over the defense and skip the ball for high-quality shots. His playmaking and facilitating played a pivotal role for Canada, and he will undoubtedly continue to have his imprint on every game Team Canada plays.

On top of SGA, Lu Dort played exactly how Thunder fans would have expected him to play. He was aggressive, tenacious and filled a reserve role offensively. All four of his field goal attempts were from three, and he connected on two of them. He also fouled out, racking up five fouls in just 18 minutes of play.

His defensive impact was felt, as he had one block and one steal. He also hauled in four rebounds, despite being the shortest player in Canada's starting lineup.

The last part of that sentence is the most important part, though. Lu Dort was named a starter at guard over Jamal Murray, a decision that is very interesting from head coach Jordi Fernandez. He opted to open their game with high-level, impact defenders like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort.

It's certainly worth monitoring if that starting five does change, because some games Fernandez and Canada may opt for more offense and ball-handling, and ultimately decide to bring Dort off the bench. However, their current decision is to let Murray lead and control the second unit, while Dort slides in as an impactful role player among the starters.

Canada's next game is against Australia in Group A.

Australia: Josh Giddey

The newest addition to the list of former Thunder guys at the Olympics, Josh Giddey starred for Australia in their 92-80 win over Spain. Giddey has historically been very, very good in an Australian jersey and he backed that sentiment up in their opener.

Giddey had a near triple double, consisting of 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He had the complete offensive reigns for the Aussies, often handling the ball and running the actions. The most noticeable part of his game, however, was his finishing and overall shot-making.

Throughout his time in Oklahoma City, he struggled to shoot the ball from most parts of the court. he shot just 42 percent from three to ten feet last season in the NBA, the range where he attempts a large volume of his shots.

It was certainly encouraging for him as he continually scored from this area against Spain, leading him to shoot five of eight on two point attempts. He seemed composed, under control and finished with confidence, which is something he has yet to master in the NBA.

Oklahoma City traded Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in June, but there is still certainly a reason for Thunder fans to cheer for his success.

He also shot two of four from downtown, an area that has been the true downside of his young career so far. With a newborn confidence and improved shot-making, Giddey can really show how talented he is at just 21 years old.

His passing and ability to involve others has always been his major strength, and he continued to show why.

Pushing the break was where he was at his best, finding streaking teammates or being patient and finding open shooters. He has an extremely impressive awareness for when defenders are one step out of position, firing passes into very slim windows.

An aggressive Giddey could be the key to Australia being a dark horse for a medal in Paris, and he's certainly building on his time he spent as a member of the Thunder.

Australia faces Canada in their next Group A matchup.

Serbia: Aleksej Pokusevski and Vasilije Micic

Aleksej Pokusevski and Vasilije Micic both departed the Thunder for the Charlotte Hornets in 2024. They were teammates in the NBA, and now they are teammates for their home country at the Olympics.

Frustratingly for Pokusevski, who has struggled to carve out a clear role in the NBA, he wasn't able to see the floor in Serbia's opening loss to Team USA. Despite having multiple seasons of NBA experience under his belt, he remains a raw player that has a long way to go.

He'll need to improve his shooting and how he handles contact to find minutes for the Serbian national team. For now, he is a reserve waiting for his chance.

Vasilije Micic came off the bench for Serbia and provided 11 points and three assists in 20 minutes. While bringing that impact, he shot just three of ten from the floor and two of seven from beyond the arc.

Micic is a quality, experienced guard that has been impactful throughout his career. He was Serbia's fourth highest scorer, and ran the second-unit against a really tough opponent. Look for him to have a bigger impact in game two, even if he begins the game as a reserve. He brings a high IQ and brilliant feel for the game, something that Serbia already has a lot of in Nikola Jokic.

Serbia's next game in Group C is against Puerto Rico.

Spain: Alex Abrines

Despite only playing three seasons for the Thunder, Alex Abrines is beloved in the fanbase's heart. His reputation as a player has always been that of a sharpshooter, and he usually plays off-ball for any team he's been a part of.

Abrines featured in Spain's starting five against Australia, in which he played just 18 minutes and contributed six points. He knocked down one of his two long-range attempts, and had a really nice finish at the basket plus a foul. Spain went on to lose 92-80.

He brought energy and spacing for Spain, and that will most certainly be his role throughout this tournament. He is Spain's plug-and-play option, as his minutes will fluctuate depending on how he's contributing offensively.

Abrines can catch fire, so he will need to increase his shooting volume over the next few games if Spain wants any hope of reaching the next stage in a very difficult group.

Spain takes on Greece in their next Group A game.

USA: Kevin Durant

There is only one Kevin Durant. Even though he broke Thunder fans' hearts nearly a decade ago, it is important to appreciate the kind of special talent KD is. His control in USA's thrashing of Serbia was entertaining, but also spectacular.

Serbia unfortunately found out that there's simply no answer for a player like Durant. Due to a slight injury concern, he came off the bench for Team USA, but once he entered, he was by far the best player on the court.

In just 17 minutes of action, he missed just one of his nine shots, including going a perfect five-for-five from deep. He finished with a game-high 23 points.

It truly was a spectacle watching Durant dominate, with his effortless shot-making paired with his unwavering confidence from anywhere. It was like the defense wasn't even there, as he dribbled into pull-ups with a hand in his face.

His signature fadeaway was also unguardable, and Serbia was left scratching their heads with a gameplan impossible to construct.

Durant plays with an unmatched smoothness in how he handles the ball and quickly rises into his lethal jump shot. His height partnered with his ridiculous offensive creativity is something basketball fans are still in awe of.

He may have caused the entire Thunder organisation and fanbase heartbreak after his departure in 2016, but he can certainly be appreciated and valued as a player.

Team USA ran over the latest NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia, 110-84, and Durant was a big reason why. He barely contributed to any other statistic across the box score, but it didn't even matter.

After knocking down a few triples, he took his man down into the post where he used a couple of dribbles, before quickly turning into one of his patented fadeaways.

Nothing but net!

He followed this with a dribble hand-off action from Anthony Davis, and despite his defender being with him chest-to-chest every step of the way, he swiftly rose up into a mid-range and calmly splashed it home.

After receiving some doubt in their warm-up matches, Team USA made a statement in their opener against Jokic and Serbia. This statement, though, was courtesy of Kevin Durant.

Team USA faces South Sudan in their second Group C game.

Germany: Dennis Schroder

Dennis Schroder has definitely made a name for himself when playing for Team Germany. He led his country to gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and since then Germany has become a powerhouse in basketball.

This was evident in their 97-77 victory of Japan in their first group game.

The former Thunder sixth-man savant was once again at his best, posting a double-double with stats of 13 points and 12 assists to just one turnover. He also shot 50 percent from the floor, despite only making one of his six long-range attempts.

He has displayed that he is a true point guard, perfectly combining his blistering speed and passing vision. He ran the offense perfectly, impressively navigating the pick-and-roll and feeding low seals willingly.

With his screen navigation on offense, he uses the space to rise up for pull-up jumpers which he was operating effectively against Japan. The pull-up has been a staple for Schroder throughout his basketball career and something he has relied on internationally for Germany.

His finishing has always been a strong suit when he can control his pace to gently score over bigger defenders or blow by his matchup.

Schroder is and will continue to be Germany's main ball-handler and primary offensive initiator, a role he has shined in previously. He further exhibited his strong on-ball ability in their opener.

Germany beat multiple strong basketball nations on their way to World Cup glory, so do not be surprised if they rise to the occasion again.

Germany's second game in Group B is against Brazil.