Branden Carlson Gives Mark Daigneault Another Option Off the Bench

Oklahoma City’s impressive depth has been on display all season long. With the amount of injuries up and down the roster, there have been plenty opportunities for different players to step up. And a handful of young guys on the roster have taken control of that opportunity, and proved that they can contribute down the stretch.

Of course, it’s hard to expect consistent shotmaking from reserves every game — that was evident in a few of the Thunder’s recent losses. Shotmaking simply ran dry despite the good looks. But each solid individual performance from someone off the bench builds confidence that could be huge in big games later on during the season. And perhaps the postseason, too.

Ajay Mitchell has earned a full spot in the rotation after coming up big time and time again. And he’s now one of the Thunder’s most important players off the bench. Ousmane Dieng is injured at the moment, but he had been working on a really solid stretch before he went down — he could get more opportunities in the future. The latest development is Branden Carlson, who is giving Mark Daigneault yet another lever to pull down the stretch.

His improvement from last season is clear, and it reflects in the stat sheet. In just 10 minutes a game, Carlson is averaging 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 57.3% from the floor and 38.6% from 3-point range. This is up significantly from a season ago, when he shot 44.3% from the floor and 33.3% from long range.

Over the last 10 games, Carlson has proven that he can handle a bigger role. With Jaylin Williams hurt and Isaiah Hartenstein going down, Carlson has stepped up to the plate when his number was called. Over the last 10 games, Carlson has scored in double figures on four different occasions. During this stretch, he's shooting 65.6% from the floor and 40% from 3-point range.

On New Years Eve, Carlson came up huge for the Thunder backing up Chet Holmgren. He played nearly 20 minutes and added 12 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting. He was also able to stretch the floor with two triples. Carlson's passing has improved, too, and he's looking like a legitimate asset on the offensive end.

It gives the Thunder another front court floor spacer and a different lever to pull when the offense starts to look stagnant. He's playing his way into being someone Daigneault can go to off the bench.