OKC Thunder: Who Was Highest Graded Player in 2021-22 Season?
In the second full season of the rebuild, the Oklahoma City Thunder did a ton of roster exploration. With over 25 players logging minutes for the team this season, the Inside the Thunder staff graded each of the key players for the Thunder during the 2021-22 season.
Who went home with the best grade? Who outperformed expectations? Who underperformed?
Click on players' names for full report card.
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Even though the Thunder star wasn’t able to finish the season healthily, he was still able to get a bigger sample size than last season. His 56 games played give Thunder fans less to worry about. Overall, the season was a success for Gilgeous-Alexander, who truly made strides in many areas of his game. His progression over the summer could vault the Thunder into the playoffs next season.
Lu Dort: B
The defensive-minded guard's confidence on the offensive end allowed him to score in a multitude of ways. He found success bullying smaller guard to the basket, displaying more body control on drives. He also showed flashes of shot creation, drilling numerous step-back threes and midrange jumpers. His offensive game is still growing, and that was evident towards the second stretch of his season.
Tre Mann: A-
However, the 21-year old did exceed expectations after being selected 18th. Mann’s physical tools and athleticism earned his role constant growth throughout the season. Mann more than earned a spot moving forward in the OKC rebuild process and Sam Presti struck gold with the decision.
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After the break, and his time in the G League, Pokusevski looked like a different player. After returning, he averaged 12.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He bumped his splits up drastically to 43.3% from the floor and 31% from 3-point range.
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Williams averaged 7.4 points per game, not the flashiest on the Thunder but he was efficient. He shot 46.1% on the season while taking good shots, another sign of attention to detail.
Mike Muscala: B+
The OKC fan-favorite suffered an ankle injury at the beginning of February prompting surgery, which sidelined him for the rest of the season. Muscala is expected to be back and healthy next season and should be a huge piece of the bench if Oklahoma City is competing.
Theo Maledon: C
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While Maledon closed the year strong, the overall body of work just isn’t there for the French guard. He simply wasn’t able to play at the beginning of the year, causing him to spend a good amount of time in the G League.
Isaiah Roby: B+
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Roby shot 51.4% from the field this season three percentage points better than in the 2020-21 season. He also posted a 44.4% clip from 3-point range, which was the best clip of any key Thunder player.
Favors was used in moderation this season as with his 6-foot-9, 265-pound build, he handed Mark Daigneault the best traditional piece at the five spot. Though his appearances were shaky, he checked all of the boxes on the floor as a screen-setter and rebounder while even tapping into the midrange.
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The second-round pick started a solid amount of games for Oklahoma City, especially towards the beginning and middle stages of the year when the Thunder were competing in games. JRE is a smooth fit as a stretch, finesse big man.
Aaron Wiggins: B-
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The stats speak for themselves when Wiggins was healthy and in the lineup. He has wholly productive for the struggling Thunder. However, nothing speaks to his season’s success more so than his contract. After a blistering hot start to his Thunder tenure Wiggins was given a four-year contract.
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Midway through the season Bazley was removed from the starting lineup and instead his role was shifted to coming off of the bench, but overall Bazley found his niche within the team before ultimately suffering a season ending injury at the tail end of the season.
Lindy Waters: B-
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Midway through the season Bazley was removed from the starting lineup and instead his role was shifted to coming off of the bench, but overall Bazley found his niche within the team before ultimately suffering a season ending injury at the tail end of the season.
Ty Jerome: C
Despite being one of Oklahoma City’s better pieces to close last season, Jerome was essentially written off as a guard candidate leading into the season. The 24-year-old etched his presence early into the year, winning a positional battle between himself in Theo Maledon in the opening month of the season.
Vit Krejci: B-
His defense as a whole isn’t great, but his length allows him to add multiple deflections per game and come away with a steal here and there. On the offensive end, he showed promise as a slasher and a spot-up shooter. His numbers combined with percentages were surprisingly efficient for an inexperienced overseas rookie.
Josh Giddey: A
After receiving NBL Rookie of the Year honors with the Adelaide 36ers last season, Giddey transitioned his top-tier numbers to the states, averaging 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists across 54 games. He ended the season strong, averaging 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in February.
Olivier Sarr: C
Sarr did have a successful 3-point stroke when he was shooting. While he didn’t shoot from beyond the arc much, he typically found the bottom of the net tallying a 44.8% mark from 3-point range. He also converted on an impressive 57.4% of his field goals. Although he shot less than five times per game, most of those were in the paint and at the rim.
Jaylen Hoard: A
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He was signed to a 10-day contract when Oklahoma City was hit by the injury bug and just needed players to suit up. Hoard took his opportunity and ran with it, putting up monster numbers and turning into a double-double machine.
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Although his playing time came at the tail end of the Thunder’s latest tanking season where most of the lineup had just joined the team but nonetheless Kalaitzakis was out to prove his worth.
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Diakite, a second year center from Virginia, has a short track record in the league despite being two seasons in. Playing with the Bucks in 2020-21 and the Thunder this season, the center has yet to play more than 15 games in a season. In his career he’s played 27 combined contests.
Paul Watson Jr.’s signing marked one of Sam Presti’s few “non-developmental” plays. Watson Jr. joined the franchise at 26 years old, making his signing one expected to source both leadership and consistent production for the youngest roster in the league. Instead, he sputtered, failing to place sturdy numbers in the NBA and G League.
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Although on paper Frazier Jr. posted hardy numbers with the Thunder, he never looked clued in on either side of the ball. Though, his intensive 40-minute average coupled with a new environment is an understandable road bump.
Zavier Simpson: C+
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The thing to appreciate about Simpson is that he didn’t change his game when the lights got bright. He was the same undersized, hook shot shooting point guard. He brought his flair to the NBA and did something the community hadn’t seen from a point guard. While he was only on the roster for less than a week, his name was much more memorable than some of the other 10-day contracts.
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