OKC Thunder: Assessing the Thunder's Point Guard Battle
The Oklahoma City Thunder have hit an impending roster crunch, and it’s no secret.
With Sam Presti tacking on four new prospects in this year’s NBA Draft – the Thunder walked out of Barclays center with 20 players inked to standard contracts, five more than the league maximum of 15.
To add fuel to the fire, Lindy Waters III and Eugene Omoruyi, signed to two-way deals, go against the franchise’s 20-player limit for training camp. Basically, their roster has hovered above 20 players this offseason.
While the Thunder have made some steps in the right direction, waiving Isaiah Roby and buying out the contract of JaMychal Green, Oklahoma City’s standard roster hangs at 18 – three more than the league allows. On the bright side, they hypothetically could go into training camp with zero roster alterations, as their 18 standard players and pair of two-way signees keep them in the roster limit for pre-season play.
This strategy is to be expected. However, their Exhibit-10 signings of Gabe Brown and Jaden Shackelford are also in the mix for training camp deals, making their roster situation a hot topic post-Summer League.
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With three players needing to be released, a consensus four-man group of Derrick Favors, Vit Krejci, Theo Maledon, and Ty Jerome have been tossed in the conversation for roster cuts. Oklahoma City has fetched a reputation for wild card cuts to close training camp. So, even this list may not cover all three options.
Of this mix, one positional tie may be found between Maledon and Jerome. They both manage the point guard spot.
With the Thunder carrying a bevy of guards, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, and Jalen Williams, among others, the idea of retaining both guards would be unprecedented from a rotational standpoint. In all likelihood, either one stays or both are gone.
Last season, a predicament arose at the point guard spot as Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey, and Kenrich Williams clogged up a majority of backcourt minutes – leaving a three-man race for the fourth guard spot in the rotation. With Maledon, Jerome, and Mann all fighting for time, the mid-November battle saw Mann earn his stripes in the G League, returning for the final mainstay spot. When COVID protocols wiped parts of the roster, the torch went to Jerome for fielding additional minutes, placing Maledon on the outside looking in.
As noted by Chris Becker of Inside The Thunder earlier in the week, Maledon and Jerome nearly mirrored each other on the stat sheet. Maledon averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists, while Jerome placed 7.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
When looking for slight advantages, Maledon carries the margin in the developmental department. At age 21, the Frenchman is four years younger than Jerome while showing stints of great on-ball skill as a rookie.
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On the flipside, Jerome, age 25, showed traces of being a good catch-and-shoot target, shooting 42.3% on threes in 2020-21. However, this past season, he fielded a 29.0% clip from distance, removing a core part of his role.
The Thunder’s decision between Maledon and Jerome will not be black and white. And, as aforementioned, there’s still a case where both are removed from the roster.
Maledon gels into the Thunder’s pass-first play they’ve been seeping into the roster. Playing out of screens, the guard is a very meticulous passer, being able to dump off the ball to his roll man or launch cross-court passes to teammates at the corner. He’s an extremely talented player in that regard. But, because of Oklahoma City’s current deck of ball-handlers, his 32.2% career output from deep does limit his off-ball capabilities. On another roster, Maledon would be a great project piece at the one. But, because of the Thunder’s current layout, he’s not a set-and-stone point guard in most rotations.
Jerome’s top selling point comes from his low-maintenance play. Some of the best backup point guards are hardly ever mentioned in mainstream conversation. Indirectly, that’s a compliment to their consistency. Jerome’s three-point output is far from consistent. However, he’s one of the better halfcourt passers on the roster. In his career, he’s averaged 2.7 assists for every turnover. For reference, Josh Giddey’s ratio is 2:1. Given the rotation is practically already filled, keeping a low profile glue piece may be up their alley. But, with a flaky shooting clip, he also has an asterisk.
Ultimately, the Thunder’s values for a backup will be the determining factor in both prospects’ fates. Oklahoma City has been rolling the dice for potential the last few seasons. At 21, there may still be gas left in the tank for Maledon. On the other side, if the Thunder trust Jerome’s three-point play, he could check the boxes for a backup fixture.
The Thunder have prepared for a roster crunch all summer. While positional battles are to be settled, the matchup between Maledon and Jerome pose the biggest head-to-head push for a roster spot.
NBA training camps typically start in mid-late September. So, an immediate call on either of these prospects is unlikely.
