Multiple OKC Thunder Rookies Star in Friday G League Contest

The Oklahoma City Thunder don't need much more help this season.

The team is 24-1 with the best point differential through 25 games in NBA, and the highest NET rating in NBA history. The team has achieved that record even with a number of players missing stretches of the season, including Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein.

In spite of those injuries, the team's depth has allowed the Thunder to remain atop the NBA, as multiple players have stepped up throughout the season. That depth comes without OKC's last two first-round picks, as Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber have yet to appear in an NBA regular season game yet in their careers.

Oklahoma City still has a few rookies on its roster, though, as second-round pick Brooks Barnhizer and undrafted free agent Chris Youngblood are on two-way contracts for Mark Daigneault's squad.

In a Friday G League contest, both players had impressive outings for the OKC Blue as the team fell 120-119 against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Barnhizer led the Blue in scoring with 25 points, shooting 12-of-18 from the field while adding 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

The No. 44 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has appeared in 10 G League contests this year, averging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 54.3% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc on 2.3 attempts per game.

Barnhizer has also seen the court in 17 NBA games this season, averaging 7.8 minutes per contest, mostly late in the game once the outcome has already been decided. Still, Barnhizer's G League performance should be encouraging for Thunder fans, as the talented defender could eventually earn a spot in OKC's rotation.

While that seems unlikely to happen this season, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound wing could get more time in the NBA as the Thunder are forced to offload current role players who become too pricey.

Alongside Barnhizer, Youngblood also had a strong showing against the Valley Vipers, tallying 23 points, 2 rebounds, an assist and a steal in 24 minutes off the bench. The undrafted rookie shot 5-of-10 from the field, 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

Pittsburgh product and fellow undrafted free agent Zack Austin also turned in 23 points, shooting 10-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Austin added 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block while committing just one turnover.

Viktor Lakhin, an undrafted rookie out of Clemson, notched 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in the loss while shooting 6-of-11 from the field.

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