Skip to main content

Stuck in a Shell: The Curious Case of Gabriel Deck

Through 26 regular season games, Gabriel Deck has placed a paltry 45 minutes for the Thunder.
  • Author:
  • Publish date:

He’s been assigned to the G-League more than he’s logged NBA games this month. He’s averaged $81,707.82 per minute played this season. He’s an Argentinian sensation well-equipped with an LNB MVP award, an Olympic appearance, and a trio of LNB championship titles.

He’s Gabriel Deck – and as of now, he’s outside of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rotation.

But, how did we get to this point?

With Oklahoma City in the throes of a franchise-tying 14-game losing streak last April, reports circulated that the Thunder would sign Deck to a multi-year contract. Those speculations came to light on April 9, as the franchise inked him to a deal, subsequently buying the 26-year-old out from his current contract with EuroLeague powerhouse Real Madrid.

Gabriel Deck joined the Thunder following an established overseas career.

Gabriel Deck joined the Thunder following an established overseas career.

Upon initial inspection, the mid-season move appeared to be a win-win. Oklahoma City’s financial situation at that time called for a slew of wasted potential cap space – with Gabriel Deck, they received a potential asset for essentially nothing, as the forward’s 2020-21 pushed the Thunder to the salary floor.

As for Deck, bustling to Bricktown gave the 26-year-old an outlet to play on the NBA stage following years of league-wide interest to make the jump over.

However, his arrival to Oklahoma City signaled for what was to come with the forward. Deck’s departure from Real Madrid came at an elongated pace, as with an ongoing visa process, a quarantine period inside an OKC hotel room, and negative reads on six-consecutive CO-VID 19 tests – Deck has officially joined the Thunder’s ranks on April 29, nearly three weeks after the confirmation of his signing.

In Deck’s shortened-down schedule last season, the forward received playing time in all 10 games he was active, showing off his highly-touted passing game while logging averages of 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists across 21.2 minutes.

Given Deck’s contract provisions last season, the expectation heading into last offseason saw Thunder GM Sam Presti either elect to resign the forward for playing purposes or let the forward walk into free agency.

That decision looked to have been decided in late September, as following the passing of Deck’s guarantee date, the consensus was Mark Daigneault and company wanted to see more from the overseas veteran. However, 26 games through the season, Deck, coined by many as “El Tortuga,” or “The Turtle,” has been completely cut off from the rotation, instead, being pushed into his shell.

Thus far, Deck’s sophomore campaign has mirrored that of a relationship running off conflicting timelines. With the Oklahoma City Thunder stocked with 10 players 23-years-old or under, Deck’s 26-year-old nature falls outside of the Thunder’s rebuilding window. Plus, with a newly-acquired jumbo-sized rookie in Josh Giddey, Deck’s once established point forward role has been extinguished in the name of competition.

As for Deck’s camp, the (movement) from one of the Euroleague’s hottest commodities to being the last option off the bench spells out a polarizing role-reversal that throws “El Tortuga'' to the wayside.

Gabriel Deck’s sophomore campaign has seen the 26-year-old struggle to touch the floor.

Gabriel Deck’s sophomore campaign has seen the 26-year-old struggle to touch the floor.

Deck’s playing time to this point has come in paltry servings, as across six appearances this year, the 6-foot-8 forward has averaged 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists across 7.5 minutes. In all, the Argentinian’s on-court time has amassed 45 minutes on the year. Diving deeper into his 45-minute slate, 22 of those minutes came in a record-setting, 73-point loss versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

Through the first month of play, “The Turtle’s” opening stint saw him landlocked to a bench-warmer role absent of any on-court time. However, as of late, the 26-year-old has been handed an opportunity with the Oklahoma City Blue.

Though Deck’s tenure with the Blue has yet to land him any in-game play, the franchise has assigned the forward to the G-League three times in the last two weeks for more “intensive” practices. For reference, he’s played two regular-season games in the last 30 days.

With Deck only guaranteed for this season ($3.67 million), a contract renewal has likely not reached the talking stages yet. Though with a brewing trade market, a plethora of potential playoff teams, and a crafty-passing Deck drained of playing time – the 26-year-old could find resolve in a new jersey. If management opts against moving the 26-year-old, an intertwined relationship between NBA and G-League ranks may remain in-store.

With an entanglement of questions surrounding “The Turtle,” time will tell if he’ll come back to shore, or continue to remain in his rotation shell.


Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.