Lineup Shuffle Doing Wonders for Thunder
There the Thunder sat, stranded in an ocean of monotony trotting out the same starting five that led it to an 8-19 start — then came the change.
Following a back-breaking, buzzer beater Dec. 15 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Thunder coach Mark Daingeault, in conjunction with GM Sam Presti opted to shake things up.
The following game, and each subsequent game saw Darius Bazley moved to the bench and created a starting spot that would remain fluid for the foreseeable future.
With the newly vacated spot the Thunder have given extended runs to both of its second round picks from the previous draft. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (No. 32) has started all five games since the switch with Aaron Wiggins (No. 55) starting alongside his fellow rookie in three of the five fixtures.
The move from a set starting group has yielded some of the Thunder’s best returns of the year — going 4-1, with the loss coming to the reigning Western conference champion Phoenix Suns.
This run has accounted for a third of the Thunder’s wins (12) this season and has produced some players best numbers of the season.
Shai Gilegous-Alexander has rounded into an All-Star contender averaging 25.6 points, 6.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds in his last five games while Robinson-Earl is averaging 10.6 points and six rebounds.
As for the shuffle’s No. 1 casualty, Bazley, the move has seen him produce some of his best basketball of the season. Bazley averaged 11.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in four games following the move before going into COVID-19 protocols Sunday.
The biggest winner from the shuffle, however, is undoubtedly Wiggins. Prior to the move Wiggins had featured in just 10 games with the Thunder — spending considerable time with the OKC Blue of the G League.
On Sunday it all came together for Wiggins, putting together the first 20-point game for any of the Thunder’s four rookies. He finished with 24 points and six rebounds as the Thunder avenged that Dec. 15 loss — beating the Pelicans 117-112.
Presti and the Thunder appear to have hit home runs with both of their second round picks this year and this shuffle with the starting lineup is just the latest progression of their success.
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