OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)

[Clav]

OKC Blue kicked off it's first game of the season with the W over the Texas Legends. They post the full games to review online sometimes and I watch most of them back so I like to recap what's going on with the development squad here for your leisure.

You'll find some familiar names on the roster such as TW contract holders Olivier Sarr, Keyonte Johnson, and surely Lindy Waters but Waters was with the big club over the weekend.


The roster includes G's
Adam Flagler
Abdul Gaddy
Logan Johnson
Hunter Maldonado
Jahmi'us Ramsey
Jaden Shackelford

F's
Lindy Waters III
KJ Williams
Keyonte Johnson
Miller Kopp

and C's
Noah Starkey
Olivier Sarr


https://oklahomacity.gleague.nba.com/


In the first game Gaddy played very well after OKC got down in Q1. The team won the rebounding battle (Ha we need that in the big club) They outrebounded Dallas by 24, that's basically the game in one statement, they got more possessions. Both teams shot near 40% so it was not an offensive showcase. Good fight back and winning by 13. Maldonado was also pretty good in hustle plays and timely putbacks.

[Clav]

Former Thunder player Justin Jackson is on the Texas Legends and played well vs his old club in these two games. The Blue were barely outshot from 3 in G2 but started slow, leading to a long road to comeback. They eventually took the lead and then fumbled the final possession with Miller Kopp tripping and the Legends got a free basket to take control Sad times.

[Clav]

TWO games vs Mem Hustle this week....

First game was Jaden Shackleford going nuclear from 3 (11-of-14), and pushing out a 4th quarter close game to a 10-pt win. Great passing and shooting from the guards throughout.

The second game was a last second bank shot from 3 by KJ Williams ~30 ft that sealed the series sweep vs the Memphis Hustle on MON/WED this week.

Highly entertaining second game where things were not going well but the Blue got a few lucky breaks and hit a nearly improbably buzzer beater with a guy I've never seen shoot a shot like that (KJ Williams)

Two big wins on the season vs MEM push the Blue's record to 3-1.

Jake Laravia was the best player for MEM in both matches and OKC won with big guard play by Ramsey and Shackleford in G1, Maldonado, KJ Williams, and Keyonte Johnson in G2. Good stuff, gritty basketball, tough shots, I thought that OKC-Blue was gonna lose both of those matches as I was reviewing them.

[Clav]

Sometimes you're 11-for-14, and sometimes you're 2-for-8 [Jaden Shackleford]. That's kind of the story with Blue vs the Austin Spurs... Guys just didn't shoot it well. Some of that is..well the passing wasn't there, a lot more iso ball than could be. Some good play by Dieng and Keyonte Johnson at times, but Spurs big guys Watson and Barlow played dominantly, got a lot of rebounds. Cidi Sissoko for the Spurs looked active in GL action and he's a player i want to keep an eye on, but he didn't shoot great or wow me in this match. Barlow did impress me, who really out-hustled the OKC post players all game leading to 11-pt win.

[Clav]

Last 2 games.... vs Austin Spurs again and then B2B at Rio Grand Valley.

The Spurs game was pretty fun, OKC controlled the game for the most part and got big time buckets in the final quarter to push a lead ahead. ATX's big guys didn't dominate as well, even though Barlow had 20+ pts.

Ramsey and Shackleford are the primary scorers on this team, heavily reliant and guard play to win. Front court players are a mix of defenders and hustle players. C position is not eye popping but effective at getting boards and clean up scoring... But OKC pretty much won by hitting a few extra 3s.

Vs RGV Vipers shot over 52% so they were a lot more effective than the Blue. RGV has some really nice players down there including Cam Whitmore and Darius Days who both played pretty well. Also former lottery pick Jarrett Culver. Some of these guys have NBA futures for sure while I'm not sold on any of the 7-man rotation that OKC played on this one. One new guy is named Kong Kong

[Clav]

Home game vs the Osceola magic earlier this week -- it was on ESPN+ which I do not have access to so I can only relay the box-score & highlights...

Basically KJ Williams might be an NBA player. Rest of the Blue were relatively moderate but Williams (yeah not like we need more Williamses in the NBA right now lol) but he put up a monster game 30+ pts double double in rebs and 4 blocks, 6 three-pointers too.

This is a guy I've never really seen play until this year and he also collecteda GW 3-pt shot earlier. When I see him play he's a bit slow footed but obviously he's able to shoot decent enough in one game and was far and away the most impressive of this one-game sample. Will be looking to see how the next 5 or so games play out as OKC Blue take on Birmingham tonight.

The Osceola Magic had good production from a variety of players that added up to just a single-digit victory (slightly ahead on TO's 3pters and rebs) Appeared to be a very close game over all. Mac McClung is on the Magic GL team now. He had 22 and 7a.

[jake_swivel]

Basically KJ Williams might be an NBA player. Rest of the Blue were relatively moderate but Williams (yeah not like we need more Williamses in the NBA right now lol) but he put up a monster game 30+ pts double double in rebs and 4 blocks, 6 three-pointers too.

It would be preferable to me to have him and sarr as our 2-ways instead of wasting it on Lindy. Give lindy’s time to micic and Wiggins and Kenrich so you can have another big to rotate in. Tooooooo many talented guards. Not enough beef.

[Clav]

Basically KJ Williams might be an NBA player. Rest of the Blue were relatively moderate but Williams (yeah not like we need more Williamses in the NBA right now lol) but he put up a monster game 30+ pts double double in rebs and 4 blocks, 6 three-pointers too.

It would be preferable to me to have him and sarr as our 2-ways instead of wasting it on Lindy. Give lindy’s time to micic and Wiggins and Kenrich so you can have another big to rotate in. Tooooooo many talented guards. Not enough beef.

Sarr is one of our TW contracts but he's not getting PT on either club, idk if he's injured or practicing. He did appear for OKC Thunder already 5 games...

KJ Williams may deserve some looks, cutting Lindy and re-assignign KJW to the TW contract fold is possible if they perform that roster movement.

[Clav]

Today, OKC Blue came from 22 pts down at one point to win vs Birmingham Squadron. Gritty win for sure...

Let's see... the Blue didn't look crisp in the first half, BS was hitting lots of tough shots and getting easier looks. Shooting slump for the OKC B. However OKC kept themselves in the game by chipping away at the lead before halftime, continuing in the 3rd -- a 7-0 run helped to bring it to 12 going into the 4th Q. Keyonte Johnson and Maldonado made some big plays. Noah Starkey too.

Slowly every so many possessions it was below double digits, then 5, then down to ~3 in the 4th. BS had some TOs but also hit some shots thinking they would have it in the bag but Maldonado and Caleb McConnell hit some big shots with getting into with defensively to end up taking the lead and just barely holding on. I think Birmingham got a bit tired at the end. KJ Williams another double-double (Dude might be NBA Two-Way level) and Hunter Maldonado / Caleb McConnell put up big hustle games even though they aren't the best scorers. Ramsey and Shackleford were not shooting well tonight.

[Clav]

Another big W vs. Birmingham Squadron today. JRE's current squad... Ah poor guy, (0 min today)

Notes-
Sarr played for first time this season and got a doubledouble (He's a servicable backup NBA big at this point imo, and I kind of stan him here on our forums He just has NBA ready skills, shooting, rebounding, and he has defensive timing. He's not an initatior or strong pick generator, nor is he defensively fast twitchy at times / a little lost on actions, but he's got the foundations to build on)

Keyonte Johnson shot 7-for-10, Dieng was in double digits on less than 10 shots, Hunter Maldonado had a dub-dub in Pts/Ast, and LW3 and Tre Mann scored 20+. It was a clean game for the Blue today. To note, Ramsey and Shackleford continue their on-off games and were pretty invisible, though Shackleford got 11 pts as well and a solid +/-. Ramsey was 1-for-4.

For Birmingham, both games highlighted that Jalen Crutcher is a shooter. He scored 30+ I think in both games. Pels might want to get him some looks in their club because he can shoot it.

[Clav]

Win in OT vs Rio Grande Valley Vipers (HOU GL team), won in OT by hitting the target score on a FT!

Both teams had 6 players in double digits. Both teams had big time games from the top scorers. RGV had Amen Thompson getting a huge Triple Double today (29/16r/11a), Whitmore with 28 pts and 4st, and Jermaine Samuels with 20+. OKC had McConnell Shackleford and Maldonado all score 20+, and three players +15, KJ Williams, Keyonte, and Dieng. Close game and a fun one if you have ESPN+ to re-watch it. The Highlights are fun though! Lots of good offense clicking on both sides.

Watch on YouTube

;list=PLRF0Qy76Eqm4Rp3QdOp17Ri8U9JYacKvF

Good to beat HOU's GL team even if we lost with the main club today.

[Clav]

three more games and a couple losses. OKC finishes the GL showcase cup with 8 wins and 6 losses and will play in the Showcase Cup Tournament... starting with Wisconsin Herd.

Capping of the first part of season was a visit to Mexico City to play 2 games vs the Capitanes de Cidudad de Mexico. One win and one loss. MCW, yea former ROY Michael Carter Williams, is playing in Mexico City now. I only watched one game and it was the loss, OKC was down wire-to-wire and big.

Overall I think the OKC GL team is a bit below average despite their 8-6 record. Although getting a couple more wins than losses at this point they are an inexperienced group with defensive issues and seemed to win with just timely out-shooting or a lucky 3-pt heave. Those are nice moments but not sustainable in GL play.

positives - Shackleford is near the top of 3pt shooting in GL, and some complementary skill sets help that effort [Ramsey drive'n'kick, KJ Williams post play, Maldonado-defense] but not a lot of players I felt were NBA ready besides those already on TW contracts. KJ Williams had a stretch of big games and dominant performances, Shackleford won a couple of games himself, and Maldonado's defense and savvy scoring and defense helped start runs. But the Miller Kopp, Kong Kong, Caleb McConnell, and Noah Starkeys on the roster are sub-NBA talent for sure, despite they try hard and make some good basketball plays. They get beat or miss shots more often.

Cheerio

[Clav]

I didn't post for a few games thanks to the holidays.

the two games of the showcase-cup OKC beat the Wisonsin Herd in a back nd forth game. It came down the very end of the 4Q. Wisconsin even took the lead with less than a minute left and was able to get a last-second shot off to win the game, but it bricked off front iron. Miller Kopp - one of the bench players for the Blue who has been mostly a turnstile on defense and a streaky shooter on offense actually showed up. He rained in three-after-three and was on fire. So in like 15 games or so, that's how long it took for him to have a good game and he basically kept OKC floating with hot shooting. The 1pt win was a team effort but without Kopp's offense they woulda been blown out ez. He's not an NBA player, he's just not been written about yet. He's a streaky shooter that's Bertans level defensively.

And funnily enough, that hot-shooting continued from Kopp at the showcase cup vs. Cleveland Charge in the second game. This was a less dramatic game and OKC handily pulled away in the 2H. Total team effort and not available to watch the replay game. 2 good games from Kopp, but don't count on it for the future. Maybe he's finding his rhythm as a shooter though and he'll be less "bad".

But if you want one chance to watch OKC Blue vs Maine Celtics (née Redclaws) it is still on their site now. The Boston GL team played a lot better than the "A-squad" for the Blue, which consisted of Dieng, Sarr, Waters III, Keyonte, and Maldonado, mostly TW or OKC Thunder rostered players. Losing by 6 is not a big deal, but turning it over 5 more times than your opponent, and being outrebounded by 10 led to more possessions for Maine. They could've survived with a Win having one of those things, but not both in a close game.

Some important OKC Blue players rested who had played in the showcase cup, so even in the GL, load mgmt is a thing.

[Clav]

I haven't caught much GL action in the new year, but I've seen that OKC Blue has dropped a few games in a row. Ousmane was starting and scoring some points but he wasn't a +/- leader by any stretch. I kind of think his place in the rotation is still tentative, he's getting some run in the GL, and he's not really that impressive for the big club, so a bit in limbo for Dieng. However he does have scoring touch, its just about getting his movement, stamina, and defense up to average because in the GL he even gets lost on the rotation some. If you look back at his stats, you'll notice he was getting a lot more usage jsut with the shots he's taking, so that's encouraging at least.

I alluded that this squad was a bit overachieving early in the "Winter Showcase" there hasn't been the same luck with the Regular Season here, losing to LA and RGV before splitting the series vs RGV in the final game. Curious if the team continues the downward trend or picks up its play because the GL season is pretty short, there are not that many opportunities to right the ship.

[Clav]

Two losses up in Portland for the inaugural series against the newest GL team, the Rip City Remix. One blowout, and one close loss, but both times gave up major drives to the rim and shot very sporadically. OKC Blue is sinking down the GL standings now with series losses to RGV OntarioClips RCRemix and the SouthBayLA teams. Whoof!

I may recap some players at the end of the season but overall, most of these guys are spot players in the GL and would barely scratch the rotations of bad NBA teams, they do try hard and play nice offense at times, skill and speed are just not quite there. the GL season's breaking up of two halves makes things very important for each game and a small losing streak like this basically seals the fate for the end of year tournament for our developmental squad. We're not gonna make it there.

[Clav]

One win, One loss vs Salt Lake City Stars
TWO wins vs Capitanes de Mexico City.

3-1 in last 4 has pushed our squad up a few notches in the West, but no where near the top.

The 10 pt win vs Salt Lake was primarily a Jah'mius Ramsey and Shackleford combo game where they powered the offense. I think this team operates the best when those two guards are "on". Because Shackleford provides pretty decent shooting and stretch for the floor. He's a good spot up shooter. Ramsey drives well, but he's not a great defender (kind of like a drive-heavy version of DLO, or of KAT --talented offensive player with cement defensive instincts--). When both score 20+ this team operates a lot more smoothly.

Two wins vs Mexico City were on the shooting prowess of Lindy Waters III (Though in the graphics introduction at the start of the games had Lindy Waters Iii ) GL TV production is absolute ****.

Have to say that Lindy Waters Iii and Dieng played well in the game that concluded today (01-24-24), and it made the collection of other guys look better.

January wraps up with a trip to Stockton CA and LV, NV. February has 8 games and March has 10. So 20 game window for the final half of the season... OKC needs to go ~~15-5 to be in contention... RGV / Stockton / Sioux Falls Skyforce and SBLakers are sporting 9 losses between 4 teams, and OKC has 9 losses.

[Clav]

Two big wins vs Texas Stars [DAL] and Ontario Clippers followed by a loss to Stockton Kings

In the two wins, our guy Keyonte Johnson shot 12-15 for one game and 10-19 in the other. He's showed some improved confidence and was getting to the rim and making some post shots. Good on em.

Losing to Stockton was not KJ's fault either, shooting 10-15, but everyone else kind of sucked and we proceeded to sign Adam Flagler to a TW contract from the OKC Blue. He's barely played and I have very little information about him in the GL other than he went to Baylor and is a combo guard with defensive chops.


OKC Blue climbed up to 11th in the West, from 14th at one point, but is still 2 games behind 6th for the playoffs.

[Clav]

OKC Blue set its franchise record in PTS vs the Santa Cruz Warriors (160 pts).

My take on the game ? They still gave up 90 after 3 quarters and kind of caught fire from distance (25 3-pters made for OKC, to 9 for SCW)

Some hot shooting from range, a good shooting night overall (55%) but not something that tells me "this team is it".

But, for a good collections of shooting highlights check out the GL channel.

Of note ? Ousmane Dieng recorded a triple-double in PTS AST REB, and was a +44. I'm still kind of feeling out his game at the GL level, but overall he's not impactful like this on a nightly basis. He consistently has posted negative plus/minus and hasn't seemed engaged in the offense. Just like any game, if you get hot, one guy can change it. Good for Dieng to have a stellar performance, especially shooting and distributing the ball. I'd like to see him continue that progress with the main club.

[Clav]

9 games left in the GL season. Our OKC Blue sit at 13-12, and 10th place in the Western Conference. One game back of 6th place, which is the cut-off for the GL playoffs.

The matchups are Iowa x2, Memphis x2, Greensboro x2, Delaware, Texas, Birmingham... It means they have a margin of error of about 3 losses. I see Delaware, Texas, Birmingham as losses and tough to ask a GL team to sweep another, so probably this is going to be a 5-4 or 4-5 end to the season, as the team has performed most of the year.

Recently, some big scoring moments and a couple of wins, but I still am not confident at the ceiling. One positive thing is Dieng recording his triple-double (see last post) and continuing that with a solid outing with 7 assists. There might be a playmaker hidden in there if he can get more comfortable handling the action.

[Clav]

Jah'mius Ramsey was called up by the Toronto Raptors and featured on February 13th's NBA top plays with a breakaway dunk. Good luck out there!