OKC Thunder Summer League Profile: Jaden Shackelford

With NBA Summer League around the corner, guard Jaden Shackelford will be looking to make his mark with the Thunder.

In the months leading up to training camp, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a major platform to showcase their talent in the NBA Summer League. While many players have their roster spot solidified, a handful of Thunder members will be competing for a training camp gig, and ultimately a roster spot.

Let’s take a look at Jaden Shackelford, who is among the players that will be interesting to watch over the next few weeks.

Player Bio:

Shackelford, age 21, carried a prestigious three-year career with the Alabama Crimson Tide. As a starter in all three seasons, he earned an SEC All-Freshman bid and two All-SEC nods in his collegiate tenure.

At 6-foot-3, Shackelford’s best trait comes in the scoring department. With the Crimson Tide, Shackelford averaged a career 15.2 points offensively, leading the team in scoring for the past two seasons. This go-around, he placed a career-best 16.6 points while shooting 35.1% from three and 76.7% at the stripe.

The Oklahoma City Thunder inked Shackelford to an Exhibit-10 contract, placing him under a one-year, minimum contract that counts against the team’s 20-man offseason roster limit.

Roster Outlook:

Shackelford was one of the top offensive players not to hear his name called in the draft. However, playing with the Thunder in the Summer League may give him the reps to prove his all-around game.

With the Thunder carrying nine members in its backcourt currently, there's no clear path in sight for Shackelford to make the team's 15-man roster or potentially training camp. The upside to this is that his offensive play may be enough for other franchise's to extend an offer, giving him a shot at joining another team's training camp roster.

The Oklahoma City Blue would be a slam-dunk fit for Shackelford, as his scoring mentality makes him a solid piece for Thunder assignments, particularly Ousmane Dieng and Vit Krejci, to play off of as playmakers.

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