Tag Archives: Paul George

The Future Is Now

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Before we get started here, lets talk about a few things as it pertains to Luguentz Dort. He is the longest tenured member of the Thunder roster, seeing as we signed him as an undrafted free agent prior to making the trade to acquire Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He has been here as we transitioned from a fools gold contender to an over-achieving playoff team to a full-on rebuild to NBA Champions to being the hunted. I’ll never forget Lu’s debut game.

We had just made the trade to jettison Paul George for Shai, Danilo Gallinari, and picks (lots of picks, juicy ones even). We made a move that many thought blasphemous in trading the King of the Prairie, the *then* greatest player in Thunder history, our Brodie, Russell Westbrook, for a seemingly washed up, flopping, complaining Chris Paul. We started off that season slowly, opening up just 1-4, and then 8-12 going into a road matchup against the 10-10 Minnesota Timberwolves. Dort entered into his first NBA game with OKC down 3 to start the 2nd quarter, and almost immediately, he forced a jump ball, which led to OKC gaining possession. He would then miss a layup, collect a rebound, and strip Jarrett Culver all within 3 minutes of action before he checked out. He returned to the game down 1 with 4:21 left in the 3rd and… nothing happened. He checked out about 2 minutes later, with not a single stat. He came back in with :30 left in the 3rd, and in :18 did nothing.

Tale as old as time, young undrafted kid gets his shot in the big leagues, has a couple of promising moments, but ultimately isn’t quite ready for the moment. Oh well, can’t blame Billy Donovan for trying. He would sit out for what seemed like the rest of the game, until he didn’t.

After a tough miss from Dennis Schroeder and a tough KAT rebound, the Wolves called a timeout with :17 seconds left in the game. Shai, CP3, Dennis Schroder, Gallo, and Steven Adams had all played great that day with the guard trio tallying over 100 points between the 3 of them. But in this moment they needed a stop, and none of them were most notably known for their defense. As the horn buzzed to end the timeout, you see Gallo take a seat on the bench and #5 walk back out onto the court in a defensive stance in front of Shabazz Napier. Napier gives him a move and heads towards the sideline, Josh Okogie whips a pass to Napier who has a step on Dort. He fumbles the ball, and out of instinct Lu lays out onto the floor to secure the ball and calls a timeout with :14 left to play.

What happened next is a thing of Thunder legend. The infamous Chris Paul/Jordan Bell untucked jersey delay of game call to put the Thunder within 2 instead of 3, the Hail Mary pass from Steve to Dennis on a go route, securing the catch and having the wherewithal to bank it in simultaneously as the clock expires to send the game to OT.

Shai would go onto scored 11 of the final 17 Thunder points (he was that dude, even then), the Wolves would only score 6 more points, and the Thunder would improve to 9-12. They would go on a run after that, going 31-12 going into the infamous Rudy Gobert covid game. And that win against the Wolves, the turnaround in the season, taking the Rockets to 7 in the playoffs, you can legitimately say is all because of Lu Dort.

Since then, we have had some truly iconic moments with Lu. The Dorty Fourty, the steal and lay up against De’Arron Fox, “can’t hit what you can’t see” against LeBron James, and many many more. Dort has been a fan favorite since that fateful day in Minnesota and has been a vital piece to this franchise.

Now that that has been said, lets address the linebacker looking elephant in the room.

Lu Dort, for whatever reason, has regressed in almost every statistical category.

In the 19 games he has played in (almost 1/4 of the season) Lu is averaging the worst FG% and 3P% of his entire career. Its heart breaking to see the ball swing, and swing, and end up in Lu’s hands in the corner, the fans expectantly bellowing “LUUUUUUUU” for the also collective “awwww” of disappointment, but that seems to be the case so far in this season for Dort.

It hasn’t been much better on defense, which is where Dort hangs his hat. He is averaging a career low in steals at .8 per game, as well as allowing a team high 46.7% DFG%. This means that when he is matched up with an opposing player, they are more effectively scoring on him than any other player on the team. In the past couple of season, Dort was at 41.9 DFG% and 44.6 DFG%, both near the lowest allowed on the team, for context purposes.

It gets worse, not only is he struggling individually on the court, but that is exacerbated when you look at it from the grand scheme of lineups. When Lu is on the floor, the team is hurt both offensively and defensively. They are 4 points worse offensively, which is kind of to be expected. What isn’t expected, and a bit maddening, is when a reigning 1st Team All-NBA defender is on the floor, the Thunder’s team defense is 6 points worse, allowing a higher TS% and creating less turnovers as a unit (which is one of this team’s superpowers). You put that all together, and the team is 10 points better, net rating wise, when Lu is off the floor.

Conversely, let’s look at Cason Wallace. The offense is better with him on the floor. The defense is better when he is on the floor. The net rating is better when he is on the floor. As a starter, he is shooting almost 10% better than Dort from the field AND from the arch. He leads the league in total steals AND steals per game by a significant margin. I tend to stay away from individual defensive rating, but he is in the top 8 in both defensive rating and net rating. He has made his way to the top 10 in DPOY odds, and is a LOCK for All-Defensive team. The ball doesn’t stop with Cason, opponents’ leads are not safe with Cason, and the ball is not safe with Cason.

That’s not to say let Lu go by the way side. This isn’t a call to action for him to be traded, cut, or excommunicated in any way. Its simply a call to action to shift from the old guard to the new one (no pun intended).

The game is constantly changing, and if you don’t adapt to those changes, it will leave you behind. The Thunder have seen this play out in previous regimes. Its been clear in every game by the eye test, and even backed up by the numbers, that Cason has been the better player for the Thunder at this point of the season. And even though Lu is only just shy of 27 years old himself, Cason has long been seen as a foundational piece for OKC with the possibility of being someone who could replace what Dort does on this team.

Again, Lu can still be an impactful player for us. Big game Lu is absolutely a thing. When he gets hot, he gets HOT. There is possibly no player in the NBA who is more annoying to have guard you. And we love him for that. *I* love him for that. We used to have a running bit on the pod (Topic: Thunder podcast, check it out), ok we still do, of when Lu has a phenomenal game saying “We love you Lu and we hope you’re doing well.” (Shoutout, Jerry). Ask me how many times we have gotten to say that this season…?

We have only lost 3 (three[*three*{THREE}]) games all year, and Lu didn’t even play in one. Is he the only reason we lost? Absolutely not. Did Anthony Edwards not literally just hit a game winning 3 pointer over Cason (albeit, while playing perfect defense)? Absolutely. Its not going to perfect, there are going to be growing pains, and that’s what the regular season is for. And for a coach that likes to explore the roster and experiment with rotations, it kinda feels like it’s getting to the point that its undeniable a change needs to happen.

As I myself have made the point to address, we DO NOT win a ring without Lu Dort. He got hot like never before in that game, and it came in a stretch that we needed him the most. All the while, being the fan favorite that had the crowd screaming “LUUUUUUUU” louder and louder with each passing make. And if Mark continues to start him, I myself will be tweeting/saying “LUUUUUUUU” right along with you when he inevitably hits 5 3’s in his next game after this publishes.

I love Lu Dort and he is forever a Thunder legend, but Cason has been better in every metric and if we want to chase history we have to adapt to what our eyes are telling us.

Both things can true.

The future is now.

 

 

Dallas Mavericks vs. Thunder preview (Game 23 of 82)

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  • Dallas Mavericks (8-15, 12th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-1, 1st in the West)
  • When: Friday, 05 December 2025 at 8:30pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: Prime Video
  • Offensive Rating: DAL: 107.6 (30th) / OKC: 119.0 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating: DAL: 111.3 (4th) / OKC: 103.8 (1st)
  • Net Rating: DAL: -3.8 (22nd) / OKC: 15.1 (1st)
  • Streaks: DAL: 3 W’s in a row, 5-5 in last 10 / OKC: 13 W’s in a row

The Set-Up

The decision for when to start a rebuild has to be an extremely difficult one for an organization. Sometimes, it’s self-inflicted. Sometimes, it’s thrust upon you unexpectedly. But it’s a decision fraught with potholes, pitfalls, and doubt. A decision that can set your franchise back years, possibly decades. And, yet, for most every team, it’s a decision that needs to be made once every 10-15 years. For Oklahoma City, the team knew they needed a refresh after the departure of Kevin Durant and the subsequent first round exits of the Russell Westbrook/Paul George-led teams. But that weird transitional season was also needed to get off the previous train and jump onto a new one. The season with Chris Paul, a newly acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rookie Lu Dort, potential 6th Man of the Year Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams is one that lives happily in the minds of many Thunder fans, but also one that helped position the Thunder for what they currently are today.

Which brings me to the neighbors south of us, down I-35. Dallas is in a weird spot where they have some of the pieces needed to jump-start a rebuild (Cooper Flagg and Ryan Nembhard), but also are in a holding pattern with older stars such as Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and the currently injured Kyrie Irving. They aren’t winning, but they also aren’t losing enough. These next few months before the trade deadline will be very interesting in Dallas.

This is the 2nd of 3 meetings this season between these regional rivals. OKC won the first meeting 101-94, in Dallas, in a game that saw the Thunder big men dominate on the scoreboard and on the glass. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams combined to score 38 points and grab 30 rebounds, with 6 of those being offensive.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -15
  • O/U: 229.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Alex Caruso – OUT (quad)
  • Lu Dort – OUT (adductor strain)
  • Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)

DAL

  • Dante Exum – OFS (knee)
  • Daniel Gafford – Questionable (ankle)
  • Kyrie Irving – OUT (knee/ACL)
  • Dereck Lively – OUT (foot)
  • PJ Washington – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

  1. Ryan Nembhard – Last season, in the Finals, no players on the Indiana Pacers, outside of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakim, had more of an impact against the Thunder than Andrew Nembhard. Dallas decided to take a chance on Andrew’s younger brother, Ryan, as an undrafted free agent this past summer. And over the past four games, all starts, Ryan Nembhard has been balling out and leading the Mavericks to a 3-1 record over that stretch. Nembhard has been averaging 17 points, 7.5 assists to 1.3 turnovers, and shooting an absurd 65% from the field and 67% from three over that 4-game stretch. The one game where he did struggle during that 4-game stretch was against the Los Angeles Clippers, who have big rangy defenders like Kris Dunn who can make life difficult for a smaller point guard. With Dort and Alex Caruso out, that onus will fall on Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
  2. Comfortable Dub – The more games Jalen Williams gets under his belt, the more comfortable and in rhythm he gets. He hit the 20 point mark in their last game against the Warriors, scoring 22 points. His playmaking has been in mid-season form, as he’s averaging over 6 assists per game in his first 3 games. And his shooting percentage was above 50% for the first time this season in their last game. Everyone is asking whether the Thunder should throw their hat into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstake, but honestly, Dub coming back may be their important “acquisition” this season.
  3. Upset Potential – The Mavericks are coming into this game the hottest they’ve been all season. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, Nembhard, Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis are all balling out, and Dallas’ defense has been consistent. You can almost always throw records out when it comes to regional rivalries and the Thunder have the biggest target on their back this season. OKC has been a little unfocused over the past few games and if that continues, it could come back to bite them in the butt this game.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Thunder preview (Game 55 of 82)

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  • Los Angeles Clippers (36-17, 3rd in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: PayCom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – LAC: 119.7 (3rd) / OKC: 119.2 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – LAC: 114.3 (13th) / OKC: 111.9 (4th)
  • Net Rating – LAC: 5.4 (5th) / OKC: 7.3 (2nd)

The Set-Up

And we’re back to your regularly scheduled program. From the studio that brought you “28 Days Later”, “28 Weeks Later”, and “28 Years Later” comes the latest film, “28 Games Left”. An action-drama-comedy that follows a young cast of characters as they battle numerous villainous foes on their way to the promised land. A land, they once thought their ancestors would capture, but never could. The film stars up and coming action star and poet laureate Shay Gilly, eye-wear model Squints Diaganolt, comedian Dub Will-I-Ams, and method actor extraordinaire Sticks Homegren. The movie will be directed by 20-time Oscar winner and head of the Boston chapter of the Mensa Institute, Samson Prezzi.

This is the third and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting, 134-115, in Oklahoma City in December. The Clippers returned the favor on their homecourt, 128-117, the following month.

Magic Number

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guarantee) – 20
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 24

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -1.5
  • O/U: 235.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

LAC

  • None

Three Big Things

  1. Pace – There isn’t a ton that separates these two teams statistically. They are both great shooting team that are both disruptive defensively. Where they differ a bit is in their pace of play. The Thunder rank 10th in pace while the Clippers rank 22nd. In their win against the Clippers in December, the Thunder made it a focus to push the ball early in possessions and catch the Clippers off-balance defensively. The Clippers were more aware of that in their 2nd meeting and consistently shut that off for the Thunder.
  2. Gordon Hayward and Bismack Biyombo – The new acquisitions for the Thunder will make their debuts tonight. If you haven’t already read Dylan’s article, there are many reasons why the debut of Hayward should make you excited. Don’t expect to see too much of Biyombo. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault already said that he would be more of a situational player. We will also see the debut of married man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If the All-Star game was any indication, married man SGA may be a completely different animal for the NBA to handle.
  3. Games of hella consequence – These are the games we were longing for when we were watching Jaylen Hoard and Georgios Kalaitzakis ball out there for the Thunder several years ago. The tie-breaker between these two teams is at stake tonight. Second place in the West is at stake tonight. Keeping pace in the top of the West is at stake tonight. And SGA’s continued MVP campaign is at stake tonight. All the rotation players for the Clippers have been in similar situations to this multiple times in their careers. For the Thunder, games like tonight are continued learning experiences, but at an accelerated pace. It’s like they are in an NBA honors class.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Thunder preview (Game 26 of 82)

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  • Los Angeles Clippers (17-10, 4th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Thursday, 21 December 2023 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – LAC: 117.9 (7th) / OKC: 117.3 (10th)
  • Defensive Rating – LAC: 111.7 (7th) / OKC: 110.1 (4th)
  • Net Rating – LAC: 6.2 (5th) / OKC: 7.2 (3rd)

The Set-Up

It’s taken a while. But we can finally start to compare the effects of the trade that occurred in the wee hours of July 6th, 2019. The day most Thunder fans woke up to tons of text messages from their Thunder-obsessed friends and a Twitter timeline that was in shambles. For Thunder fans, we knew what awaited us. A complete and total rebuild. For the Clippers, it was redemption for all those years of being seen as the Lakers’ little brother. Fast forward four years later, and the seeds that were planted during that trade are now starting to bear fruit.

The Thunder find themselves in the 2nd spot in the West, with one of the brightest futures imaginable for a team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into a top-5 player in the league, Chet Holmgren has been an immediate-impact “rookie”, and Jalen Williams (acquired via a Clippers pick) has all the makings of a third star. Even though injuries have derailed the Clippers’ chances at a title the last three seasons, they are in prime position to make a run this season with the additions of James Harden and Russell Westbrook and the newfound health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. As big of a trade as this was four years ago, it appears both teams are in position to succeed because of it…as of now. Remember, the Thunder still control the Clippers’ picks for the next four drafts and the Clippers will only get older from here.

This is the first of three meetings between the Thunder and Clippers. They also meet on January 16th, 2024 and February 22nd, 2024.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -4.5
  • O/U: 233.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

LAC

  • Paul George (illness) – Questionable

Kawhi Leonard (hip) – Questionable

Mason Plumlee (knee) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. SGA – There is definitely an “I’ll show you” feeling whenever SGA faces the Clippers. The star guard started his career with the Clips, playing his rookie season in Los Angeles. As we all know, he was shipped off to the Thunder with a bevy of picks for Paul George in the offseason. Since the trade, the Thunder are 5-7 against the Clippers, but have won four of their last 5. In those 12 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 24 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 51/46/98 shooting splits. This also includes a ridiculous game winner in 2021.
  2. Streaking – Since December 1st, the Clippers are one of the top teams in the NBA per most metrics. They’ve won every game since the month turned and are 2nd in the NBA in Offensive Rating and Net Rating during that time. The chemistry between Harden, Leonard, and George is starting to coalesce and Leonard is starting to play like the Leonard of San Antonio and Toronto lore. In addition, since Russell Westbrook removed himself from the starting lineup, the Clippers have gone 13-3 and the bench has been more impactful.
  3. Russ – Russell Westbrook is in the sun-setting phase of his career. He is 16 years in and considering how he plays, his body has performed admirably. But the signs are starting to show and energizer bunny that once was, only makes an appearance once every couple of games. That’s not to say he still isn’t a good player, but he isn’t the player that we remember. As he makes another visit to OKC, let us appreciate everything Westbrook has done for OKC hoops. He stuck with us in the toughest of times and helped bridge the gap between the last Thunder “dynasty” and this current iteration. So, here’s to Russell. Give him his flowers while he still has an NBA contract and is contributing to a good team.

Ranking the Thunder’s 1st Round Picks through 2027

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Oklahoma City General Manager Sam Presti (left) and Vice President of Basketball Operations Will Dawkins (right) meet with the media after the 2022 NBA Draft. (Credit: Alex Roig)

The Oklahoma City Thunder did something in this past draft that they haven’t done since they started this rebuild in 2019. Instead of acquiring more future first round picks, they consolidated a couple of picks from their asset chest in order to move up to take the prospect they wanted. In this case, the prospect was Ousmane Dieng. And the cost was three future first round picks. All three of the picks the Thunder gave up were heavily protected (lottery or more) for the 2023 NBA Draft, and those protections stretched out for the next 2-5 years. In essence, the Thunder traded the three worst first round assets they had for a player they really wanted.

In all, the Thunder have 13 possible first round picks over the next five drafts (2023-2027). Some of those picks will have value as draft picks and some of them will have value as trade bait. But every first round pick the Thunder have will have some sort of valuation, which is big to Thunder GM Sam Presti. When the Thunder traded the 16th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to the Houston Rockets for two future firsts, many questioned if Presti was getting a little too asset-collection happy. After that draft, Presti was asked about trading what turned out to be Alperen Sengun for two future firsts. “It was just, it was a valuation of the asset and I think over time, we’ll be able to figure out different ways to utilize those. There’s really nothing more to it than that. It was just way above the line for the general value of that pick, and we’re going to probably make that decision most of the time.”

In this article, I wanted to look at the value of the 13 first round picks the Thunder have over the next five drafts. With that said, this is going to be perceived valuation based on the normal cycle teams go through in the NBA. I don’t have a crystal ball and can’t foresee things like injuries and future signings. These valuations are based on the current premise of the teams involved and the general evolution of what happens to teams in these positions. Without further ado, here are the values of the Thunder’s 13 future first round picks from least valuable to most valuable.

No. 13 – OKC’s 2027 first round pick

No. 12 – OKC’s 2026 first round pick

I put these two picks together because I think they hold the least amount of value to teams looking to deal with the Thunder. The Thunder will continue to add young talent to this team over the next few drafts. Also, as OKC gets better, they will likely add valuable veterans to the team via trade or (I can’t believe I’m saying this) free agency. As the collective talent on the team goes up, so will the wins. And as the wins increase, the draft position will also weaken. The Thunder will likely start to be good in 2024. But they will likely start to be great around 2026 or 2027. Hence, their draft picks will not be of much value to other teams.

No. 11 – Houston’s 2026 first round pick (Top-4 protected in ’26. Converts into a ’26 2nd rounder if it isn’t conveyed)

While Golden State, Boston, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles battle for league supremacy, OKC, Houston, Detroit, and Orlando are currently battling for draft position. Houston and OKC started their rebuilds around the same time. As Houston also continues to stack talent via the draft, their trajectory is likely to be very similar to OKC’s. For that reason, their 2026 pick is likely to be later in the first round than early in the first round.

No. 10 – Los Angeles Clippers’ 2024 first round pick (Unprotected)

If you think it’s crazy that an unprotected pick is only No. 10 on this list, I don’t blame you. Hell, I initially had this as the least valuable pick in the Thunder’s asset chest. But the pick being unprotected kind of forced me to move it down a couple spots. The reason I hesitate on giving this pick too much value is because the Clippers (sans injuries) are likely to be awesome over the next season or two. Like, “best record in the NBA” awesome. Like, “pick in the late 20’s or worse” awesome. Even with Kawhi Leonard out for the season and Paul George out for most of the season, the Clippers still found themselves in the midst of the play-in tournament. With those two back in tow and a point guard tandem of Reggie Jackson and Paul Wall, the Clippers could be real good when this pick is ready to convey.

No. 9 – Miami’s 2025 first round pick (Lottery protected for ’25. If not conveyed in ’25, it will be unprotected for ’26)

I really debated on where to put this pick due to the unprotected nature of it in it’s 2nd year. But Miami has three things going for it: two of their stars are young (Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro), they are a well run organization from top to bottom, and Miami is a prime free agent destination. Based on those three things, I don’t think the Heat will bottom out any time soon.

No. 8 – Philadelphia’s 2025 first round pick (Top-6 protected in ’25. Top-4 protected in ’26 & ’27. If not conveyed by ’27, it converts into a ’27 second rounder)

No. 7 – Utah’s 2024 first round pick (Top-10 protected in ’24 & ’25. Top-8 protected in ’26. If it doesn’t convey by ’26, OKC will receive $890K in cash)

I put these two picks together because these two teams a very close to being in turmoil over the next couple of seasons. For as great as Joel Embiid has been in his career, he’s never made it to a conference finals. Add to the mix, James Harden, who isn’t really known as a bastion of team chemistry, and the Sixers are a disappointing season or two away from being in complete flux. In addition, Embiid’s possible shelf life as a large human being who has had foot issues in the past could rear it’s ugly head in the near future.

The Utah Jazz seem to be the basketball version of the guy who peaked in high school. When the Jazz made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs in Donovan Mitchell’s rookie season, everyone thought that was just the beginning. Fast forward four seasons later and the Jazz still haven’t made it out of the 2nd round of the playoffs, their salary sheet is bloated, and their starting center shut down the world for two years (and now resides in Minnesota). Quin Snyder stepped down this offseason and Mitchell said aloud that he doesn’t know where he goes from here. The hope for Thunder fans is that the Jazz go the Portland route and try to use the picks they obtained in the Gobert deal to build around Mitchell for the next couple of seasons.

No. 6 – OKC’s 2025 first round pick

As mentioned in the explanation for OKC’s 2026 and 2027 picks, the Thunder could be well into their upward trajectory in 2025. They are likely to not be as good in 2025 as they are in ’26 and ’27, but they will likely be “playoff” good. This will be Josh Giddey and Tre Mann’s fourth season and Chet Holgrem, Jalen Williams, and Dieng’s third season. If the jump in their games were to happen, it would likely coincide with the 2024-25 season. But why would this pick be so valuable? The Thunder have the option to swap their pick with either the Clippers (unprotected) or the Rockets (Top-10 protected). If the Clippers hit an injury bug or if the Rockets aren’t progressing in their rebuild as quickly as the Thunder, the Thunder could end up with a better pick than their record suggests.

No. 5 – Denver’s 2027 first round pick (Top-5 protected for ’27 – ’29. Converts to a ’29 2nd rounder if it hasn’t conveyed by then)

Great teams usually have a shelf life of 3-5 years. Denver will be heading into Year 3 of their current situation. Injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. completely derailed last season, but Nikola Jokic still found ways to dominate on his way to his 2nd consecutive MVP award. But with their financial flexibility capped out and injury concerns for two of their three stars moving forward, this pick may be conveying around the time this team’s shelf life may be coming to end (if not already there by then).

No. 4 – OKC’s 2024 first round pick

No. 3 – Houston’s 2024 first round pick (Top-4 protected. If it isn’t conveyed, the Thunder would get Houston’s 2nd rounder in ’24 & ’25)

I lumped these two picks together because so much of their value is going to depend on what happens in the 2023 NBA Draft. If either of these teams lucks into Victor Wembanyama, their outlook changes immensely.

No. 2 – Los Angeles Clippers’ 2026 first round pick (Unprotected)

There’s a possibility the Clippers could still be good after the ’25-’26 season. But there’s also a high possibility that four more seasons of wear and tear will have had their effect on Leonard and George, along with the Clippers’ bloated cap sheet and lack of assets, to lead them into a slow decline that culminates in a great pick in this draft.

No. 1 – OKC’s 2023 first round pick

Wemby, y’all.

ClickTown – August 26th, 2019

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Read the latest Thunder happenings here on ClickTown.

Maddie Lee (NewsOK) with an in-depth look at Darius Bazley’s internship at New Balance: “A month after news broke of Bazley’s signing, New Balance added Kawhi Leonard to the team. The pair — a rookie and the 2019 NBA Finals MVP, are the only athletes representing New Balance Basketball so far, as the company re-enters the basketball shoe market after a decades-long absence.”

Letting you guys know that Paul George always tells the truth on Twitter:

Continue reading →

ClickTown – August 13th, 2019

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Read the latest Thunder happenings here on ClickTown.

Check out the latest episode of The Weekly by the Topic: Thunder podcast crew. 

The Thunder’s upcoming schedule.

Erik Horne (NewsOK) breaks down the Thunder’s upcoming schedule: “In the past five seasons, the NBA has used the second half of the schedule as a showcase for its Saturday night games on ABC. While the Thunder has 10 Saturday games, including several against high-profile opponents (Clippers, Lakers, Warriors), OKC won’t appear in a nationally televised game on Saturday.”

Berry Tramel (NewsOK) on this being a fan-friendlier schedule: “The result is, 22 of the Thunder’s 41 home games will be played on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. And the Sunday games start no later than 6 p.m. That means fewer late nights for Thunder fans who must work the next morning.” Continue reading →

ClickTown – August 8th, 2019

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Read the latest Thunder happenings here on ClickTown.

Erik Horne (The Oklahoman) on the return of assistant coach Brian Keefe to the Thunder bench: “Kauffman Sports, which represents Keefe, has powerful quotes on its website from Nick Collison and Ingram that tout Keefe’s impact. But no words have cemented Keefe’s resume more than Durant’s validation to David Aldridge back in 2014. It wasn’t about Keefe helping Durant with mechanics (which he’s done for Ingram and Andre Robeson, among others), but about Keefe checking Durant’s body language and attitude when the Thunder was in a post-All-Star break slump.”

A look back at Jenni Carlson’s (The Oklahoman) story on Chris Paul and the significance of the number 61: “Chris Paul thought about not playing basketball the day after Chilly’s funeral. But he decided his first game back would always be like ripping off a bandage. It would hurt no matter what. Extended family was still in town, and as he left for the gym, his aunt said something about honoring Chilly. “Maybe 61,” she said.”

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First Round Preview: Thunder vs. Trailblazers

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thunder blazers

What have you done for me lately? If you are the Oklahoma City Thunder, you should go confidently into your first round match-up with the Portland Trailblazers. The Thunder just finished a regular season in which they swept the season series against division rival Portland, 4-0. But just as the slogan says about the postseason: it’s a new season.

The Portland team the Thunder will face in the playoffs will not be the same Portland team they faced in the regular season. The season-ending injury to Jusuf Nurkic late in the season wipes away a source of familiarity the Thunder are used to seeing from Portland. The entire dynamic of this series changed the minute Nurkic went down in the 73rd game of the season. Logic would have you think this benefits Oklahoma City. But in a weird way, that dynamic may be slanted more towards Portland.

The Thunder swept the season series against Portland in part because they matched up so well with them. Russell Westbrook can play Damian Lillard to, at worst, a draw. CJ McCollum has a bit of a feast or famine thing going when he faces the Thunder. And Nurkic is one of the few centers in the league that plays similar to Steven Adams. Continue reading →

Thunder @ Timberwolves Preview (Game 64 of 82)

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okc logo at twolves

  • When: Tuesday, 05 March 2019 at 7:00 pm CST
  • Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
  • TV: FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: MIN -2.0 | O/U: 236.5
  • Off Rating: OKC – 109.9 (15th) | MIN – 110.6 (12th)
  • Def Rating: OKC – 105.6 (3rd) | MIN – 111.0 (20th)

Injuries never come at a good time. Gordon Hayward got injured at the beginning of the season last year and Boston’s entire game plan had to change from that point on. It worked for them, as they made all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but a healthy Hayward, in his prime, may have pushed them even further. Continue reading →