Isaiah Joe Appreciates Oklahoma City's Team-First Culture

Oklahoma City has been working hard to trim down its opening night roster for the 2022-23 season. With so much young talent, it’s hard to decide who to keep around longterm.

After the first round of roster cuts, the Thunder brought in a few guys that perfectly fit the offensive system and a team need. One of those players is Isaiah Joe, an elite young shooter from the 76ers.

The Arkansas product is a bucket-getter, it’s as simple as that. The Thunder got a front row seat during summer league back in June.

Now Thunder player Isaiah Joe cooking the Thunder in this year's Summer-League pic.twitter.com/cYaTggd7qT
— TF (@ThunderFocus) October 15, 2022

Joe only played two seasons at Arkansas but was one of the conference’s top scorers before declaring for the draft. In 2019-20, he averaged 16.9 points per game, and was a 37.8% 3-point shooter over the course of his career. In 60 games with the Hogs, Joe attempted 9.1 3-pointers per night. He’s not afraid to let it fly.

“He’s a guy that our scouts and people have liked for some time, he obviously has elite skill and he’s also on the timeline of the team," head coach Mark Daigneault said. "We’ve got a lot of players that are in the same stage and we believe in the power of them going through these experiences together and building together… he’s another guy that we can add to that fray and we’re excited about it.”

It’s no wonder Oklahoma City’s staff has liked Joe, a young prove-it player that can fill it up from long range and has a good head on his shoulders. The first thing he noticed when he signed with the Thunder was the culture surrounding the team and the organization and, truthfully, that’s probably the best sign that he’s in the right spot.

“As soon as I stepped in here, everyone was preaching about the culture, attacking the program and playing for each other. I really like that, that warmed my heart whenever I came in here.”

Oklahoma City has Joe locked up for the next three seasons, allowing him to build chemistry and grow with the current young core. The Thunder need shooting help on the perimeter badly, giving Joe a unique chance to help on the fly.

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