Thunder Position Battles: Who Should be the Backup Power Forward?
SI Thunder's Position Battles series will take a look at a few different roles over the next few days, and try to identify which current Thunder player is best suited to play the role in the 2021-22 season. Up today: Darius Bazley vs. Aleksej Pokusevski for starting power forward.
Nick Crain's Pick: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Both Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Isaiah Roby project to be similar players for the OKC Thunder both now and down the road. Both prospects are undersized in terms of playing the center position, but have proven to be effective in small ball center roles.With that in mind, Robinson-Earl likely has more upside. While he may not ever stuff the stat sheet or become an All-Star, he has the intangibles to really become an excellent role player.That’s not to say that Roby couldn’t develop into the same type of player, but there’s always the higher upside for a rookie that still hasn’t shown as many flaws.With just summer league play under Robinson-Earl’s belt, he’s already shown some things that are attractive to the Thunder front office. He rarely makes mistakes and truly knows his role. Whatever is asked of him, he’ll work to do exactly that and play within himself.
Derek Parker's Pick: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Two of the most versatile players on the team, Robinson-Earl and Roby both add plenty to the current roster.At 23-years-old, Roby will be entering his third season in the league. While a valuable contributor, it’s clear his ceiling isn’t much higher than a role player.While Robinson-Earl doesn’t project to be much more, his ability to stretch the floor more and add a defensive boost gives him the slight edge.That’s not to say Roby won’t give the Thunder valuable minutes this season, but Robinson-Earl should get the go-ahead more often than not.
Ryan Chapman's Pick: Isaiah Roby
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was the star of Summer League for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It didn't seem to matter what the coaching staff threw at him, Robinson-Earl was able to handle it impressively, especially on the defensive end of the floor. With that being said, this year he might be best served playing the role of reserve center for the Thunder, bringing some defensive stability and the ability to stretch the floor to OKC's second unit. Isaiah Roby has proved that he can provide nice minutes off the bench for the Thunder, but he likely isn't going to be a member of Oklahoma City's core for the future. Give him the minutes backing up Darius Bazley and Aleksej Pokusevski, and see if Sam Presti can work some of his magic at the trade deadline and include Roby in a package with somebody else in an attempt to get any draft compensation headed back in Oklahoma City's direction.
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