Top Performers from Oklahoma City's 80-65 Loss to the Pelicans
The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first loss of Summer League play on Wednesday night.
Without their sixth overall draft pick Josh Giddey, who missed the contest with a left ankle sprain, the Thunder were unable to overcome a third quarter onslaught, suffering an 80-65 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans in Las Vegas.
OKC struggled shooting from the floor, only knocking down 33.3 percent of their shots as a team. The Thunder were especially bothered when the Pelicans shifted to their zone, and Oklahoma City time after time was unable to read the defense and work deep into their offense to find a great look.
Especially concerning was Theo Maledon’s performance on Wednesday. After an efficient Summer League opener, the French point guard shot 2-of-11 from the field, scoring just five points while turning over the ball five times.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Oklahoma City, however, as a pair of rookies stood out in the defeat.
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Aaron Wiggins
Aaron Wiggins continues to provide a boost to the Oklahoma City Thunder off the bench, sparking a 10-0 run when he was inserted into the game against the Pelicans
Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA TODAY Sports
After signing a two-way deal with OKC, Wiggins is flashing early on that he too can walk the path and get his contract converted to a full-fledged NBA deal.
A jolt to the system for the Thunder off the bench, Oklahoma City raced out to a 10-0 run after his insertion to the game as he brought the energy on both ends of the floor.
“He’s a spark plug,” teammate Tre Mann said after the game. “He’s a good shooter, we need him to do that. And then on the defensive end, he makes plays. He stays in front of the ball and he’s just playing hard the whole time.
“When he comes in the game, he changes the game for sure.”
Knocking down 7-of-16 attempts from the floor and leading the team with 16 points, Wiggins again feasted from the mid-range. He got some good looks from behind the arc too, but only hit 1-of-7 shots from 3-point range.
Wiggins also added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, reprising the role off the bench he excelled in at Maryland.
“It’s just a matter of me being aggressive and playing confident,” Wiggins said after the game. “I’m comfortable in the role that I’m in… and I’m comfortable with our sets and stuff, so I’m just going in playing aggressive and continuing to try and make plays for my team.
“And you know, I just want to stay with that mindset.”
If he can continue to provide production off the bench, Wiggins will be well positioned to continue to get chances as the Thunder head into the 2021-22 season.
Tre Mann
Tre Mann added six rebounds and seven assists to go with his 12 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night
Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA TODAY Sports
Mann is going to be just fine as a scorer. Coming into the NBA Draft, he was heralded as one of the best shot creators in the draft.
The real encouraging bit from Mann’s performance on Wednesday night was the seven assists he created for his teammates and the six rebounds he was able to pull down.
“I think the seven assists kind of speak to his playmaking,” OKC Blue and Thunder Summer League coach Grant Gibbs said after the game. “He hasn’t shot it great yet, but I think he sees the ability to create his own shot, create shots for others and be tricky with the ball.
“We’ve been impressed with his ability to play make and obviously we’re confident in him as a shooter. I think that’s going to come in the next couple of games.”
Mann scored 12 points against the Pelicans, but it came on just 4-of-15 shooting. Still, Mann did a great job of getting to his spots and creating open looks, and he thinks the shots will begin to fall as he continues to settle in.
“The first game I came out and I was trying to get a feel for everything and get a feel for my teammates,” he said. “Also had a little bit of first game jitters, but tonight I felt more confident.
“I came out more aggressive and more confident tonight.”
Mann said he thinks he’ll be able to work his way out of his shooting drought, as he’s been through ruts before.
“I’ve been through stretches before where I missed shots, and the way I got out of it before was just to keep shooting,” Mann said. “So next game I’m not going to pass up those open looks that I get, and hopefully they’ll fall next game.”
The Thunder will have a chance to rebound on Friday night when they meet up with Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors at 6 p.m.
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