OKC Thunder 2022-23 Regular Season Discussion

[slick_watts]

Now maybe this is just a pure roster construction thing, but I'm starting to wonder if Coach Mark really knows what he's doing.

this was a bottom 2 offense last season and this year what was added? not much, with chet out. what were you expecting to be different? the nba is a talent league. the team hasn't added much talent from last season. and i don't think they want to, they're still tanking.

thunder coaching staff is extremely young and inexperienced compared to the average nba team. look at houston. stephen silas doesn't have much head coaching experience but he's been an assistant forever and has former HC jeff hornacek and lionel hollins on his staff. not to mention long time assistant and head coach john lucas.

this is one aspect of sam presti's grand design i'm opposed to and it's the way coaches are developed. most of these guys came up through the thunder in one way or another, have mostly the same perspective and similar coaching backgrounds and experiences. there's not much in the way of diversity on the coaching staff. maybe that's what sam presti wants. but i'm not a fan of it. i thought it was nice having mike miller on the staff, a guy who's been around the block, but he lasted only one year. wonder why?

[ThunderBolt]

So far, this looks like a really strong rookie class, especially inside the top 10. It's depressing to me that we managed to pick the one guy whose foot exploded before the session even started.

I’m trying to be positive and fair but it’s hard not to really worry about him being a chronically injured player. That was a bit of a concern beforehand but even more so now.

[1bigfan13]

I don't think it's just you. Through the first two games. I've been very underwhelmed as well. It doesn't feel like we're a real NBA team like there's just something missing in terms of the way we play. Lots of guys just chucking threes or driving headlong into traffic. Not enough, actually creating easy opportunities. Now maybe this is just a pure roster construction thing, but I'm starting to wonder if Coach Mark really knows what he's doing.

I sort of got this feeling as well. For me at least, the reason it doesn't feel like we're a real NBA team is because there's no clearly defined 8 man rotation for OKC. Every game feels like Daigneault's just throwing guys out there to see what works. So it doesn't feel like they're defining roles within the team or developing any type of real chemistry. I think that's part of the reason that lead to Poku torpedoing their chances vs the Timberwolves. He came in off the bench and instead of differing to better playmakers, he took it upon himself to start chucking bad shots.

On the subject of Poku, I'm about done that little experiment. I know it's extremely early in year 3, but I honestly don't see much improvement from year 1 to year 3 with him. I don't see anything that's been added to his game. I think his NBA career is done once his contract with the Thunder is up.

[1bigfan13]

I’m trying to be positive and fair but it’s hard not to really worry about him being a chronically injured player. That was a bit of a concern beforehand but even more so now.

I'm going to go down hating the pick until Chet proves me wrong. I hated it on draft night and still hate it 4 months later.

Presti's boom or bust strategy regarding the draft has hurt this team.

Sometimes it's okay to take the safer pick. I look at Jabari Smith and at worst I think the Rockets got themselves a Minnesota Timberwolves version of Andrew Wiggins. Chet on the other hand feels like a player with a much lower floor and with a much higher injury risk.

[kdthunderup]

I don’t know why everyone is **** the bed here. We lost two close games on the road against competing teams. If you compare the team from the same time last year they are much improved. We lost to the Rockets by 33 this same game last season.

Also I have 0 doubts over Chet being the right pick - there is a reason all the stars in the league boast about how good he is gonna be. Jabari has looked like ass so far so I’m not sure why anyone would be jealous of that pick.

[ThunderBolt]

I don’t know why everyone is **** the bed here. We lost two close games on the road against competing teams. If you compare the team from the same time last year they are much improved. We lost to the Rockets by 33 this same game last season.

Also I have 0 doubts over Chet being the right pick - there is a reason all the stars in the league boast about how good he is gonna be. Jabari has looked like ass so far so I’m not sure why anyone would be jealous of that pick.

I definitely have no desire for a Minnesota version of Wiggins with the second pick. You have to admit that when you draft a guy like Chet and his foot breaks before year one, there is concern. I’m hopeful with j dub and Dieng but we need stars and we need them sooner than later so that the one we have doesn’t ask out.

[jake_swivel]

Losing is a feature not a bug.

[Devilanche]

Going to be a long season guys.

I don’t expect the rotation to tighten up until the g-league starts.

[1bigfan13]

I said "at worst" Jabari will be a Minnesota version of Wiggins. Meaning even though they're banking on him being much more, him topping out as a Wiggins-like player still leaves them with a good NBA player. Way to twist my words though. LOL

Basically I'd rather end up with a guy like Wiggins than end up with a complete dud like the 2013 Cavs (Anthony Bennett) or 2017 Sixers (Markelle Fultz).

[Old Man Game]

Did you all see that article the Oklahoman where they interviewed orthopedic surgeons about the lis franc injury. Didn't exactly inspire confidence.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2022/08/29/chet-holmgren-lisfranc-injury-okc-thunder-chronic-risks-nba-foot-injuries/65460061007/

[jake_swivel]

Did you all see that article the Oklahoman where they interviewed orthopedic surgeons about the lis franc injury. Didn't exactly inspire confidence.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2022/08/29/chet-holmgren-lisfranc-injury-okc-thunder-chronic-risks-nba-foot-injuries/65460061007/

Got any pertinent quotes for non-daily Oklahoman subscribers?

[slick_watts]

sam presti has done this before and we got over a decade of contention out of it. i don't know why anyone is pretending like mark daigneault is important at all, or that these rotations are important at all. there's, at most, three players on this team at the moment who are centerpieces of future plans (chet, sga, giddey). we're shooting for another high lottery pick here, because that's the most likely path to star talent the thunder have at the moment. we're three games into the season and sga is already hurt, giddey is already hurt, dort is probably going to miss his 20 games. if you don't have the stomach for tanking that's one thing but winging about the team losing and looking hapless when that's the team's goal? c'mon.

[slick_watts]

So far, this looks like a really strong rookie class, especially inside the top 10. It's depressing to me that we managed to pick the one guy whose foot exploded before the session even started.

I’m trying to be positive and fair but it’s hard not to really worry about him being a chronically injured player. That was a bit of a concern beforehand but even more so now.

there was no reason to believe he would be a chronically injured player before he was drafted. the injury he sustained had nothing to do with his mass or frame, or even his gangly awkwardness- it was caused by a wet floor. it's rational to be concerned now, though, because lisfranc injury isn't a guaranteed thing. but the fellas taking laps on this because of pre-draft scare tactics are barking up the wrong tree. it's a little like warning someone not to walk down a dark alley in a bad neighborhood at night and then giving them an i told you so when they get struck by lightning.

[Old Man Game]

Did you all see that article the Oklahoman where they interviewed orthopedic surgeons about the lis franc injury. Didn't exactly inspire confidence.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2022/08/29/chet-holmgren-lisfranc-injury-okc-thunder-chronic-risks-nba-foot-injuries/65460061007/

Got any pertinent quotes for non-daily Oklahoman subscribers?

Here's a depressing one.

Uhland: “It’s a horrendous injury. I say that having not looked at a radiograph or an MRI scan or obviously examining (Holmgren), but just on its face a Lisfranc injury is a really, really bad injury.”

Another:
Is this a one-off, freak injury that you recover from and never look back on, or is there risk of having chronic problems?
Faught: “A Lisfranc injury is a severe injury to the foot, especially for a high-level athlete. There is a risk of developing post-traumatic arthritis in the midfoot.”

Another:
Davis: “Unfortunately there is some cause for concern. The problem that happens is arthritis of the midfoot. And it’s not like arthritis that you’re old and you get arthritis, no, this is like arthritis meaning advanced degeneration of those joints around the middle part of the foot because of trauma. The joints get injured, the cartilage suffers an injury and then it just dies, and so you get arthritis. Unfortunately it can result in some disability in the future of the foot.”

More:
Uhland: “I think there’s certainly risk. And I’m talking about in your foot or my foot, let alone a 7-footer putting the type of stress on his foot that an NBA athlete is doing. I mean let’s face it, he’s demanding more of that foot than you and I are. There’s not a lot of studies on Lisfranc injuries in NBA players, they’re kind of in all comers. When you look at that, greater than 50%, about 54% of people with this injury have post-traumatic arthritis of their midfoot within 10 years of the injury.

There was this to hang our hats on:
Holden: “I would say, no question, a 300-pound guy is going to have more trouble than a 195-pound guy. The lighter you are, the better off you are. The height of him makes no difference. I wouldn’t be worried about that.”

[kdthunderup]

I said "at worst" Jabari will be a Minnesota version of Wiggins. Meaning even though they're banking on him being much more, him topping out as a Wiggins-like player still leaves them with a good NBA player. Way to twist my words though. LOL

Basically I'd rather end up with a guy like Wiggins than end up with a complete dud like the 2013 Cavs (Anthony Bennett) or 2017 Sixers (Markelle Fultz).

We need stars and not decent role player types like Jabari or Wiggins.

If Chet doesn’t work out it won’t be because he doesn’t have enough skill like Bennett or Fultz, it will be because his body falls apart like Oden.

[Dadouv47]

I won't ever blame Presti for drafting Chet even he never plays in the NBA. We got super unlucky. His injury had nothing to do with his body.

I do blame Presti for trying to build a team around Shai/Dort/Giddey. The lack of shooting is terrible. We should have traded Dort when we could. Also his 2020 draft picks were terrible (Poku & Maledon) and I have no clue why Presti picked a guy like Dieng over Duren...Giddey/Duren fit was perfect and even with Chet it would be great.

[Dadouv47]

Last season was depressing but at least we had 3 FRPs so we knew draft was gonna be exciting...this season gonna be a mess. It's top 2 in the draft or "bust" even if the draft is stacked.

I changed my mind and think we should trade Shai if his value is good enough. I don't think we can compete in a couple of years.

[Old Man Game]

sam presti has done this before and we got over a decade of contention out of it.

I know this is the prevailing wisdom but one has to ask oneself how much of that was Presti and how much of that was Kevin Durant (who literally anyone would have picked once Oden was off the board).

Point being, as we have seen, Durant was so great he covered up a LOT of issues. Maybe we get lucky and get a, ultra transcendent star again. Far from a sure thing though. I hope there's a parallel strategy at some point to bolster this roster some other way.

there was no reason to believe he would be a chronically injured player before he was drafted. the injury he sustained had nothing to do with his mass or frame, or even his gangly awkwardness- it was caused by a wet floor.

I know the wet floor thing was reported but that isn't what happened to Chet to my understanding. He braced himself against Lebron and put his foot into extreme dorsiflexion thereby putting excess stress on the foot. Go watch the video, look at the angle his foot is relative to the calf.

His tendency to do that to compensate for his lack of bulk is indirectly related to his weight. (Go watch his draft videos, giving ground then contesting with his length is his strategy to compensate)

[ThunderBolt]

So far, this looks like a really strong rookie class, especially inside the top 10. It's depressing to me that we managed to pick the one guy whose foot exploded before the session even started.

I’m trying to be positive and fair but it’s hard not to really worry about him being a chronically injured player. That was a bit of a concern beforehand but even more so now.

there was no reason to believe he would be a chronically injured player before he was drafted. the injury he sustained had nothing to do with his mass or frame, or even his gangly awkwardness- it was caused by a wet floor. it's rational to be concerned now, though, because lisfranc injury isn't a guaranteed thing. but the fellas taking laps on this because of pre-draft scare tactics are barking up the wrong tree. it's a little like warning someone not to walk down a dark alley in a bad neighborhood at night and then giving them an i told you so when they get struck by lightning.

I view it more like being concerned about an inexperienced driver being able to handle the daily commute to work on the interstate. On the first day to work they potentially total the car backing out of the driveway.

Even if and when the foot totally recovers there are still concerns about how the rest of him will hold up to the nba season. I'm not saying Chet is a bust or Presti picked the wrong guy. I'm just concerned because without him, the rebuild will take a massive step backwards.

[ThunderBolt]

His injury had nothing to do with his body.

How do we know this? I get that a wet floor can injure anyone but can we definitively say that most people would have had the same injury if they had slipped in the same spot? I get that it's not like he broke his foot shooting a free throw but his body is a concern.