Thunder player developement/Future

[SaleheR]

How do you guys think Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones III, Hasheem Thabeet and Daniel Orton would do if they got more minutes. I`m really excited to see what these youngins are capable of given enough playing time. If a couple of them managed to contribute well OKC is going to be one of the deepest teams come playoffs and they`ll be a powerhouse for years to come. And they have 2 first round picks this year which I think should be used to strengthen their bench. I can see OKC becoming one of the best teams since the 96 Bulls in the near future cause Sam Presti is s genius.

[spearsy23]

Eh, thabeet can be a serviceable big and orton is 6 fouls. The other two might have a future but it's doubtful jones ever becomes anything of note while stuck behind kd and ibaka. Lamb is the only one I'd ever expect or hope to be a long term impact player in OKC.

Best case is thabeet becomes serviceable enough that he can replace Perkins, which isn't saying much. Jones becomes odom type 6th man, which isn't happening. Lamb becomes Kmart without the attempt at being a franchise player.

One of the problems with being an elite franchise is that player development falls more on the players own drive, because they don't get the playing time to b coached and learn.

[bbms]

I like Reggie Jackson's potential a lot. He can defend both guard spots really well, he's strong, fast and has a 7 foot wingspan, he can spot up threes(just need to get consistency through playing time), he's a very good rebounder for his position, and is a high energy player. He defended LeBron on christmas game in one or two possessions in the post, and I was really impressed by his defensive insticts. He can be a very good backup combo guard.

I'm a big fan of Jeremy Lamb's potential, if he doesn't get involved in a trade, than I think he can start over Sefolosha in the future. He proved in college that he can play off the ball, and his 7 foot wingspan and athleticism give him a lot of defensive potential. I think that from this 2012 draft class, he has top3 potential and from all the shooting guards, he's closest to have potential to become a top 5 shooting guard.

i'm a bit disappointed on Perry Jones, I expected him to be more ready for the NBA. I thought he could be a 7th man by this year, covering both Ibaka and Durant, but when he saw minutes, he was clueless on court.

Thabeet surprises me, he's an active bigman on defense, that block shots, get rebounds, hustle and foul, and isn't a disaster offensively. He gets offensive boards and isn't a liablility at the line. He's imo outplaying Perkins by a margin and he'll be useful if we face Dwight Howard in playoffs, specially, if Thunder somehow trade Perkins. Great pickup, good backup C.

[Dsharpyo]

Ehh...Hasheem is nothing more than a backup. The thing you got to realize about him is he's 7' 3", at literally every point in his basketball career until the NBA he was by far the biggest player on the court. He gets to the NBA where people are the same size and you need skill in order to succeed. I mean this is his 4th stop which means 3 other GMs at some point thought he wasn't worth keeping on the roster. I think we got him because 1. we needed a back up center, 2. we could sign him for the minimum, and 3. the front office is familiar with him from the 2009 draft when we almost got him.

Reggie Jackson we'll see more of as the season goes on. Maynor isn't playing very well and I think RJ is going to be replacing him in the lineup after this season. But at the same time I don't think he's a very good PG. I think he has a lot of defensive potential tho but like our starting PG he's reckless on offense sometimes.

I agree with you guys on Lamb, remember that he was traded after our last preseason game, so he's had practically no practice with this team. I think as the season progresses and the starters minutes gets reduced he'll see an increase in PT. Best case, he becomes Martin's improved replacement.

With PJIII you gotta realize bigger guys take a lot longer to adapt to the game. Most C's don't play their first year, (Ibaka was in Spain the year after we draft him).


All in all, Scott Brooks does not like to change up rotations/lineups. He's gotten very comfortable with who's he playing/when they're playing. We're a team that runs the ball a lot, so it means less learning plays and more chemistry with everyone. Although were getting to the point of the season where coaches start watching the minutes their starters are playing and going a little more to their bench, either way, I'd bet its next year when we start seeing the Rooks get more PT.