Final Stretch is High Stakes for Hoard's Future

Only time will tell what Jaylen Hoard’s Oklahoma City future holds.

The former 5-star high school prospect out of Wake Forest was signed to a 10-day contract prior to OKC’s game Friday. That same game he earned his first career NBA start in just his second game this season.

Hoard has been professional since the 2019-20 season but has seen most of his career take part in the G League.

However, with injuries continuing to mount in the Thunder organization, most recently Aleksej Pokusevski (flu-like symptoms), Hoard got the call. He didn’t skip a beat.

Hoard has played well for the OKC Blue this season scoring 11 points and grabbing nearly seven rebounds per game. He brought those skills across the street to the Paycom Center.

Scoring didn’t come early for Hoard, but rebounds came pouring in. As the game went on buckets started to fall and the rebounds kept coming. When the final buzzer sounded he had recorded a double-double with 11 points and a whopping 20 rebounds, with six offensive. Hoard finished with an efficient night making 5-of-9 shots from the field.

Hoard can play both forward positions on the court and checks in at 6-foot-8 and 216 pounds. The Thunder could use depth at the position, which makes this next week even more important for Hoard who has been involved in the heavily challenged race for NBA minutes in the Thunder’s developmental ranks.

Hoard is a raw player with a large upside especially with his rebounding ability, which the Thunder take pride in being one of the best teams in that category. Hoard in his three seasons in the G League has averaged more than six rebounds twice.

His shooting ability, from 3-point range could improve drastically, but from the field as a whole he’s shooting at a clip over 50%.

With his new 10-day deal he’s on the OKC roster through the final regular season game, and with the limited number of available bodies for coach Mark Daigneault to utilize, Hoard has the chance to use his frame and talents to earn himself more looks going forward in the OKC rebuild.

While an NBA contract may still be a longshot for the former undrafted Wake Forest forward, he has the chance to turn heads not only in OKC but around the league with solid performances.

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