Oklahoma City's Roster Has One Clear Strength
Regardless of how good or bad the Oklahoma City Thunder roster ends up being top to bottom, the organization has one clear area of strength — point guard.
The Thunder backcourt should have plenty of talent, and the conversation should start and end with franchise cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
After taking another step forward in limited action last year, the former Kentucky Wildcat star is on an All-Star trajectory. Already efficient at driving to the bucket, Gilgeous-Alexander also added a more consistent 3-ball to his game last year, knocking down a career-high 41.8 attempts from deep.
Entrusted with the keys to the offense, Gilgeous-Alexander also proved he can handle all the responsibilities of a primary ball handler in the NBA, averaging 5.9 assists per game — also a career-high.
But Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the only ball handler on the OKC roster who has shown real promise.
Josh Giddey, the Thunder’s No. 6-overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, impressed in camp with Team Australia before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, Thunder fans were unable to see him in action during Summer League due to a sprained ankle, but Oklahoma City’s highest draft pick since James Harden will have an entire season to display the skills which caught Sam Presti’s eye.
Coming off the bench, the Thunder will likely have a pair of playmakers in second-year guard Theo Maledon and 3-point sharpshooter Ty Jerome.
Maledon, fresh off a trip to the Summer League where Oklahoma City continued to put him in uncomfortable positions, asking him to be aggressive, had a good rookie campaign as his role grew from bench guard to the Thunder player who logged the most minutes in 2021.
Looking must stronger physically during his time in Las Vegas, Maledon will look to improve on his 36.8 percent shooting performance from the field while he continues to pull the strings and run the Thunder offense off the bench.
What Maledon may lack in 3-point shooting punch, Jerome steps in and more than makes up for it.
The former Virginia guard shot 42.3 percent from deep after getting his feet wet with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League Bubble before linking back up with the main Thunder roster.
Much like Maledon, Jerome also proved that he was able to think his way through the game and pick apart opposing defenses, averaging 3.6 assists per game in a reserve role for Oklahoma City.
OKC also added Florida guard Tre Mann with the 18th pick in the draft, who also was known for his deep shooting touch in college.
On a roster that is still under construction, the OKC backcourt will be the Thunder’s clear strength, and an area to watch as it is most likely to produce a player who will grow into Oklahoma City’s future core.
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