Thunder in Review: Giving Prospects Opportunity Down the Stretch
By the time the middle of March came around, the Oklahoma City Thunder roster started to look very different.
By that point, the two faces of the franchise in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey had played their final games of the season due to injury. Additionally, several other key players including Lu Dort, Derrick Favors and Kenrich Williams were done for the 2021-22 campaign as well.
With over half of the active 15-man roster from opening day sidelined, it was time for others within the Oklahoma City organization to step up. As such, a roster filled with G League prospects from the OKC Blue were given a chance to showcase their talent.
Over the final few weeks of the season, the Thunder actually went 4-8 with these fill-ins, which was rather impressive considering the circumstances and the previous chunk of the season.
There were several players that stuck out the most with this new opportunity.
Most notably was Lindy Waters III, who actually grew up and played college ball in the state of Oklahoma. A 3-point sniper, he averaged 11.7 points per game through his final ten contests while shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc.
Alonzo Adams / USA Today
In a limited sample size, Georgios Kalaitzakis made his name known within the Thunder organization while producing 17.5 points per game through four contests.
A dominant force on the glass, Jaylen Hoard put up record numbers in his six games during the final weeks including, two contests with at least 20 rebounds. During that last stretch, he averaged an outstanding 17.2 points and 13.7 boards per contest.
Kirby Lee / USA Today
Outside of these G League prospects, we saw flashes of promise from Tre Mann, Theo Maledon and Isaiah Roby. All on full NBA contracts with the Thunder, they stepped up as the experienced players within the depleted roster to keep the team on track down the stretch.
While most of these players likely won't be key pieces over the next few seasons as the Thunder continue to rebuild, it was an opportunity for GM Sam Presti to evaluate what he has. Additionally, it gave these guys the chance to show other teams what they're capable of for future opportunities.
Oklahoma City had an interesting roster during the final weeks of the season, but good certainly came out of the situation.
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.
