Thunder In Review: Josh Giddey and Tre Mann Erupt as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Hits Sidelines

The Oklahoma City Thunder's pair of first rounders made their presence known leading into the All-Star break.

There’s a next-man-up mentality in Bricktown.

Throughout the week on SI Thunder, we’ll be breaking down the twists and turns, wins and losses, and emerging storylines throughout the Oklahoma City Thunder 2021-22 campaign.

Today, the Thunder’s injury bug comes to the table, opening the door for a hoard of breakout campaigns.

January 28 was a gloomy day for the Thunder’s 2021-22 season.

Lacing up to go against the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder hit the deck with three rookies and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort rounding out the core. In a valiant effort, the Thunder faltered by three in overtime. But that wasn’t the key storyline. Two of those starters took early exits – and their evaluations put a bottle on their pre-All-Star break play. The two members were Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

With a potential identity crisis in the cards due to SGA’s absence, Mark Daigneault shuffled the cards with four-consecutive games of differing starting lineups. As for the players involved, they were unfazed, and their grit showed on the scorecard.

Down their duo of starters against a C.J. McCollum-led Portland Trail Blazers, Josh Giddey helped to ax a seven-game losing streak by mustering up a double-double for a win. In the very next game, the torch had passed to Lu Dort and Tre Mann, who fended off a 40-piece from Luka Doncic with 30 and 29 points, respectively. In a potential revenge game for Portland, Dort silenced them again with 23 points, netting a three-game winning streak.

That trio of games set the seeds for what was to come in the Thunder’s late-season activities, as with key contributors out, rookies in Giddey, Mann, and Aaron Wiggins were pushed into the spotlight. As for the seasoned core, additional opportunities were garnered as Darius Bazley returned to the starting crew while fresh off an OKC Blue breakout, Theo Maledon was recalled to the roster. In the following game, Aleksej Pokusevski returned too.

Oklahoma City crashed down after their stroke of success, dropping their next five games, with four of five coming at double-digit deficits. However, the offensive side of the ball had positives. Dort blossomed averaged 21.8 points, including a 30-point outing, while synergy had formed between Giddey and Mann. The group was in rhythm, losing a nail-biter in their previous game headlined by a Giddey triple-double.

That set the stage for the match in the Garden.

In the Thunder’s only trip to the Madison Square Garden this season, Oklahoma City’s rookies lived up to the big stage. In a game that saw 12 ties and 13 lead changes, the duo of Giddey and Mann took a bite of the Big Apple. That bite accounted for a combined 58 points, a Giddey triple-double, and an overtime victory against the Knicks.

Oklahoma City’s next game etched their last game before All-Star weekend opportunities, but the group wasn’t itching for the festivities. On a date against the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder struck out losing by eight, but the game created proving grounds for Maledon, who dropped 22 points, Isaiah Roby, who added a double-double, and Lindy Waters III, a recently signed sharpshooter from the Blue.

One effort rose above the rest though – and it rose into the record books. After two-consecutive triple-doubles, Josh Giddey joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only rookie to post three-consecutive triple-doubles. The 19-year-old did so with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The Thunder entered the break at 18-40.

Lu Dort took the reins as the top option averaging 23.1 points in this Winter stretch. But a shoulder injury in mid-February deepened the Thunder’s injury pocket headed forward.

Josh Giddey took over as Oklahoma City’s aficionado tallying 16.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists en route to a Rising Stars appearance at All-Star Weekend.

After a rough opening patch, Darius Bazley walked into the break back into starting status, rekindling the three-level game he was desperately searching for.

The verdict on Tre Mann was stamped in this stretch – his shot creation ability was a marvel. With a diverse bag including stepbacks, hesitations, and stop-and-go maneuvers, the 21-year-old broke into the blueprint.

After a weekend of festivities, the Thunder were back on the big stage. But the injuries only continued to grow.