Three Things to Look For in the Thunder's Last Scrimmage

Terrance Ferguson's Minutes

Billy Donovan is complimentary of the way Terrance Ferguson plays basketball. He's even gone so far to bring up Ferguson's name when you ask about other young players on the Thunder's roster.

However, though two scrimmages, Ferguson has played a total of 15 minutes. Donovan will tell you that you shouldn't read anything into the rotations he's playing during preseason games, but with the return of Andre Roberson, Lu Dort seemingly entrenched in the starting lineup, and Hamidou Diallo looking excellent vs. The 76ers, it's fair to wonder how Ferguson fits into any rotations.

Donovan says:

"I think the biggest thing with Terrance is his reliability."..."You know you're gonna get a guy who's gonna be really really locked in defensively."....."He's gonna take good shots; he's gonna try and make the right play."..."He's gonna play inside the framework of what we're trying to do as a team, he's gonna play inside the framework of what he's capable of, and he's gonna play to his strengths, and I think that's certainly a great quality for someone like Terrance."

Don't be surprised if Ferguson gets more run tonight against The Trailblazers, and at some point, either in the seeding games or the playoffs, he sees significant minutes. For Donovan, it's about consistency, and if Ferguson can be the player Donovan says he is, then he'll get court time.

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— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 26, 2020

Lu Dort's Shooting

Lu Dort has 22 points in two scrimmages doing the math, that's five points above his season average. Could it be that the Thunder has a two-guard that not only plays defense but can score as well?

It is only two scrimmages, and he was getting open looks; still, you have to hit those shots when called on. Dort doesn't have to be an offensive juggernaut; he just needs to be one more guy the opponents have to account for, so guys don't sag off to help on Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

While Dort has been an inconsistent scorer, he doesn't seem to shrink when the lights are on. I would watch Andre Roberson hit corner threes at practice and shoot around with regularity only to come up short when it was game time.

Dot not only possesses the physical skills to be an elite NBA defender, but he also has the mental strength to hit clutch shots when needed.

Last one before it counts. 👀 #ThunderUp at 5pm CT on @FOXSportsOK! pic.twitter.com/uxInz5nZkL
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 28, 2020

How Long The Starters Play

In a typical preseason wrap-up game, you wouldn't play the starters, any more than necessary. But, these aren't normal circumstances, and it wouldn't be crazy for Billy Donovan to push his starting five till the end of the third quarter.

The Thunder will have a few days to rest after today's scrimmage, with their first of eight seeding games coming Saturday vs. The Jazz. Billy Donovan says Adams deserves credit for maintaining his conditioning while on hiatus.

And he's not the only one, Gilgous-Alexander and Lu Dort both hit the weights hard. At the same time, Gallinari and his girlfriend were active on social media, sharing their workouts, and Paul's duties as union president don't seem to have affected his ability to stay in shape.

Despite needing the bench to bail them out on Saturday against The 76ers, things have gone about as well as one can expect to this point.

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.

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