New Faces: Thunder Add Microwave Scorer in Rob Edwards
With a four-man squadron of Darius Bazley, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl being thrusted into health-and-safety protocols Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder needed to fill in the gaps.
That they did.
As per team release, the Oklahoma City Thunder cinched their rotational gap Monday evening, signing Rob Edwards, Scotty Hopson, and Olivier Sarr to 10-day hardship exception deals.
In this pack; however, one man’s offensive game has put the G League on notice. That man is Rob Edwards.
Edwards, age 24, has played for the Thunder’s G League affiliate Blue for the last two seasons, taking a spark plug role under Grant Gibbs. This season, the guard has posted averages of 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 21.2 minutes while placing double-digit scoring efforts in 9-of-15 appearances.
Edwards’ rookie campaign mirrored similar production as well. In the former Sun Devil’s bubble stint, he placed double-digit scoring totals in 11-of-15 G League contests, highlighted by two 20-point scoring outputs. Edwards shot a team-high 44.0 percent from deep across 6.1 attempts, knocking down a ton of 3-point buckets.
While playing for the Thunder’s NBA Summer League team, the 6-foot-5 guard climbed from a garbage-time role to the frontlines, averaging 11.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in a 17.5-minute span across five games. In two contests, the guard posted 23-point efforts, good for the roster’s highest single-game scoring output in Summer League play.
Edwards’ role has seen the guard utilized as Oklahoma City’s primary scoring threat off of the bench. The 24-year-old’s play style sees him enact as an on-ball shot creator, oftentimes unleashing stepback jumpers, pull-ups in the mid-range, and more. But with a hallmarked left-winged transition three– he also works off-the-catch. In his two seasons, Edwards has shot a career 35-of-69 (50.7%) from the left wing.
The 24-year-old's three-level scoring has been a main catalyst in OKC Blue wins over the past two seasons, and the hope is his play will adjust to bigger spotlight. Due to his astounding 10.2 career shots per game, up-and-down performances from the floor have been part of the process with Edwards. Though, with his polarizing skill set, he does possess the ability to turn the tides of games – as once he gets in sync, he's hard to contain from all facets.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder now down two top-backcourt options in Tre Mann, and just recently, Josh Giddey – the door has been opened for Edwards. Given the duo's absences, Edwards’ microwave play could fetch the 24-year-old double-digit minutes off of the bench. In this case, look for Edwards to absorb a role similar to that of Mann, starting out as a primary catch-and-shoot piece, and if he gets a groove – a shot creator in space.
The Thunder are permeating from the seams with backcourt pieces, even minus Mann and Giddey. However; if Edwards posts a grand slam in his NBA audition, an additional 10-day contract, or a full-on contract battle with Paul Watson Jr. could be in play.
Edwards is slated to make his NBA debut Tuesday evening versus the Sacramento Kings. The guard’s deal stretches for five NBA contests.
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