Thunder Players With Most to Prove in Training Camp
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Oklahoma City is heading into an important season in completing the rebuild. This is a massive year for the development of the young core.
There are a few players with a long-term spot already secured. Oklahoma City has locked down a number of key players for the foreseeable future. There are also players, however, that have plenty to prove heading into training camp.
With the impending roster crunch, and general growing depth, here are a few players with the most on the line heading into training camp:
Darius Bazley
Bazley feels like an obvious candidate in this spot, as he has yet to make any real progress in Oklahoma City. He’s still a talented player with a high ceiling, but has to prove his efficiency this year. It looks like he’s already impressing his new teammates early on.
He seemed to better understand his role towards the end of last season, and had a really nice stretch of games. The pressure is on for Bazley, as it’s likely his last chance to prove himself to the organization with the amount of young forwards around him. At his best, Bazley would be the perfect athletic forward to fit the mold of the roster.
Aleksej Pokusevski
Like Bazley, Pokusevski has received extended opportunities over the past two seasons. Obviously, the Thunder knew he would be a project when they drafted him.
Last season, the 7-footer showed flashes, but that’s really all we’ve seen - flashes.
He needs to show consistency to secure his spot in Oklahoma City. If he can improve his 3-point shooting, that may be enough to stick around a few more years. If he can use a strong training camp to compete for early minutes, he’ll be in a good spot.
Theo Maledon
This one may come as a surprise, especially considering the Thunder have to clear a roster spot soon.
Maledon is an interesting prospect, though, and the last roster spot will likely come down to he and Derrick Favors. If Oklahoma City believes in Maledon’s potential, they’ll keep him around.
He can help his case with a training camp full of playmaking. Although Oklahoma City has a good number of guards, Maledon has great size and speed for a point guard off the bench.
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