Sarr, Roby Provide Long-Term Depth in the Paint

Olivier Sarr has spent most of his rookie year in the G-League, but his role has grown recently.

Due to several injuries, Sarr has found his way onto the active Thunder roster. A 7-foot center, he has made an impact in his new found bench role for OKC.

In his six games since rejoining the team on Feb. 24, he has played nearly 17 minutes per game. In those six games he’s averaged 6.3 points per game. Most recently, on Sunday Sarr scored 11 points and nine rebounds.

Another young piece with size is Isaiah Roby. Roby is a 6-foot-8 power forward, who has shown a resurgence in recent weeks. Roby, who is now dealing with a minor back issue, also saw an increased role due to other injuries.

This season, Roby is averaging 8.4 points per game and shooting 51.5% from the field. Although in a small sample size Roby has also been efficient from 3-point-range, though he doesn’t shoot much.

March has been a career defining month for Roby. In two games against challenging matchups with Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns, Roby has posted solid defensive efforts in both of those games. In both games Jokic and Towns scored under their season average.

He has also posted impressive offensive outputs, against Denver he scored 26 and followed that up with a 21 point outing against the Timberwolves, a game in which he posted a double-double.

A priority need for OKC and Sam Presti in the upcoming draft and offseason is the center position. While the odds of the Thunder selecting a forward or some sort of big man to help their interior presence are still high, the pieces of Sarr and Roby provide much needed help at the position.

While neither Roby or Sarr appear to have a ceiling high enough to be a high-caliber centerpiece, they will both be instrumental to the bench for OKC going forward. The two, especially Roby, have proven they can each hold their own in tough matchups and help keep the Thunder in contention.

With their size, defense and offensive presence, although not always eye turning, they can help with depth at a position lacking it. With more and more of the stars of the NBA being bigs, OKC needs all the help they can get, which is where pieces like Roby and Sarr come in handy.

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