OKC Thunder 2022-23 Regular Season Discussion

[slick_watts]

i'm not sure the problem is fit, the problem is josh giddey. a primary ball handler who can't shoot is a problem in the nba right now. irrespective of how supernatural shai is becoming as a playmaker and creator himself, i don't think josh giddey can be expected to be the primary handler of a top 10 offense if he can't shore up some of his deficiencies as a scorer. having shai next to him just doing crazy stuff in that role makes giddey's issues more visible.

[ThunderBolt]

Dort is becoming a problem.

[Xatticus]

Dort is becoming a problem.

Ehh... this team needs his energy. His shot selection is a bit loose and I wish he had more size, but he creates chaos. He should've forced another couple turnovers down the stretch but for poor officiating. That ball came off of Suggs' leg and the foul call against him on Wagner wasn't a foul. Wagner just lost control when Dort jumped in front of him.

Poku was great tonight. This was a good win.

[Old Man Game]

Yo SGA is getting scary dude. I mean like scary awesome. Like it's starting to remind me of when we had some of the better players like the durants and the Paul George's of the world. In terms of you can just give him the ball down the stretch and feel confident he's going to be able to get you a bucket.

[ThunderBolt]

Dort is becoming a problem.

Ehh... this team needs his energy. His shot selection is a bit loose and I wish he had more size, but he creates chaos. He should've forced another couple turnovers down the stretch but for poor officiating. That ball came off of Suggs' leg and the foul call against him on Wagner wasn't a foul. Wagner just lost control when Dort jumped in front of him.

Poku was great tonight. This was a good win.

Maybe the problem lies with coach D.Dorte has some strengths but his offensive game is exhausting to watch. Regardless, I’m sick to death of watching him launch threes like he’s Klay Thompson.

[Dadouv47]

Really hope SGA is willing to stay even if we suck because we won't have a top 5 pick if he stays healty.

[ThunderBolt]

Shai looks like he's taken a step forward and this is happening after he signed his extension. I'm sure Dort, Bazley, Poku and anyone else can continue to improve. I don't want to give up on guys too early. I hope Dort takes the next step and make me eat my words. Even if that happens I have a hard time seeing Dort being successful as a high volume three point shooter.

[BlazersBroncos]

Dort is great but he should not be shooting so many 3's. OKC is slowly adding enough offensive talent that Lou should begin to move to his long term, most efficient role - low usage defense first Tasmanian devil. A guy that shoots like 3.5 3pt per, and gets closer to 24-28mpg rather than 32 IMO.

[cjmcallist]

I’m frustrated by all these wins. With the Spurs and Jazz, we had a chance to really get out to an early lead, but wasted it.

Gotta take some drastic measures soon. We can’t be sitting 9-11 20 games in.

[Dadouv47]

I’m frustrated by all these wins. With the Spurs and Jazz, we had a chance to really get out to an early lead, but wasted it.

Gotta take some drastic measures soon. We can’t be sitting 9-11 20 games in.

I wanted a high pick but can't stop developing our young guys for 28% at best to get Victor or Scoot.

That being said, Shai better be a long term plan for OKC otherwise him staying will cost us a lot and it would be nice to lower Dort's minutes and play more Jalen and Dieng (not only for tanking reasons but also to develop those guys).

[slick_watts]

eric bledsoe is the only guard to ever put up 3% steal and block rates for a season. seems unlikely shai will maintain that. it would be something if he did. bledsoe is one of 8 players total to do it for a whole season, not one has done it more than once except matisse thybulle, who has *career averages* over 3% block and steal. matisse is going to go to another team and be free of doc and dominate.

[cjmcallist]

I’m frustrated by all these wins. With the Spurs and Jazz, we had a chance to really get out to an early lead, but wasted it.

Gotta take some drastic measures soon. We can’t be sitting 9-11 20 games in.

I wanted a high pick but can't stop developing our young guys for 28% at best to get Victor or Scoot.

That being said, Shai better be a long term plan for OKC otherwise him staying will cost us a lot and it would be nice to lower Dort's minutes and play more Jalen and Dieng (not only for tanking reasons but also to develop those guys).

Yeah I’m ready to trade Dort, and use the next half season to decide if Shai and Giddey can co-exist then move on from one.

If we do keep Shai, I’m worried that we’ll be treadmill Portland in 4-5 years.

[ThunderBolt]

I’m frustrated by all these wins. With the Spurs and Jazz, we had a chance to really get out to an early lead, but wasted it.

Gotta take some drastic measures soon. We can’t be sitting 9-11 20 games in.

I wanted a high pick but can't stop developing our young guys for 28% at best to get Victor or Scoot.

That being said, Shai better be a long term plan for OKC otherwise him staying will cost us a lot and it would be nice to lower Dort's minutes and play more Jalen and Dieng (not only for tanking reasons but also to develop those guys).

Yeah I’m ready to trade Dort, and use the next half season to decide if Shai and Giddey can co-exist then move on from one.

If we do keep Shai, I’m worried that we’ll be treadmill Portland in 4-5 years.

I never expected to be in the wemby sweepstakes. We can still get a key piece this year picking outside the top five.

[Xatticus]

I wanted a high pick but can't stop developing our young guys for 28% at best to get Victor or Scoot.

That being said, Shai better be a long term plan for OKC otherwise him staying will cost us a lot and it would be nice to lower Dort's minutes and play more Jalen and Dieng (not only for tanking reasons but also to develop those guys).

Yeah I’m ready to trade Dort, and use the next half season to decide if Shai and Giddey can co-exist then move on from one.

If we do keep Shai, I’m worried that we’ll be treadmill Portland in 4-5 years.

I never expected to be in the wemby sweepstakes. We can still get a key piece this year picking outside the top five.

This rebuild isn't as dependent on tanking due to the abundance of future 1st-round picks coming our way.

I think it's fair to expect a significant amount of internal development just due to the current roster composition. As long as we are playing the right guys, then I don't see winning as a bad thing. If we are getting wins on the backs of veterans getting expanded roles, then I will be concerned.

I think tanking should be an opportunistic endeavor. If you get halfway through the season and the incentives are there, then by all means, go for it. I think it's bad form to construct a roster for the explicit purposes of losing though. Even if you are tanking, you still want to do everything else the right way. It might not be as easy as you think to restart the engine after you turn it off.

[cjmcallist]

Gotta give it 10 or so more games but when I watch us play I don’t see the championship talent there yet. Even if Chet works out, I think we need to see a path to 2-3 top 15 guys. Until then we have to be tanking, I think.

[ThunderBolt]

Gotta give it 10 or so more games but when I watch us play I don’t see the championship talent there yet. Even if Chet works out, I think we need to see a path to 2-3 top 15 guys. Until then we have to be tanking, I think.

Presumably the second biggest piece is injured all year. The first piece, shai looks like a legit superstar. We have to give time to find the third piece. Admittedly the only players I feel confident in that role would be Jalen Williams or maybe Dieng but he's a long ways off. I haven't given up on Giddey being more than just a good passer. We also have the ability to trade for a star. At the same time, look at Memphis. They have one true superstar. I think Shai can and is on Ja's level. Who is their number two? Realistically we aren't building a dynasty.

[Old Man Game]

That was junk tonight. That was a winnable game and our offense completely went in the tank for like 2-3 minutes and it was over. SGA deserves better than this roster of young players and end of the bench level (and both) guys. Dude is a legit superstar. 37 points tonight on 13 of 17 from the floor.

[Old Man Game]

Gotta give it 10 or so more games but when I watch us play I don’t see the championship talent there yet. Even if Chet works out, I think we need to see a path to 2-3 top 15 guys. Until then we have to be tanking, I think.

Presumably the second biggest piece is injured all year. The first piece, shai looks like a legit superstar. We have to give time to find the third piece. Admittedly the only players I feel confident in that role would be Jalen Williams or maybe Dieng but he's a long ways off. I haven't given up on Giddey being more than just a good passer. We also have the ability to trade for a star. At the same time, look at Memphis. They have one true superstar. I think Shai can and is on Ja's level. Who is their number two? Realistically we aren't building a dynasty.

Desmond Bane and it's really amazing since he was like the 30th pick and he's in his third year and he's already all star level or close to all star level. It just goes to illustrate, you can take forever, but the best way to get good fast and cheap if you're a small market is just to get really lucky in the draft. And unfortunately there's no timeline for good fortune.

[Dadouv47]

Why is Jalen playing only 14 minutes?

We need to develop guys like him, Mann and Dieng... too many minutes for Dort/Kenrich

[ThunderBolt]

Gotta give it 10 or so more games but when I watch us play I don’t see the championship talent there yet. Even if Chet works out, I think we need to see a path to 2-3 top 15 guys. Until then we have to be tanking, I think.

Presumably the second biggest piece is injured all year. The first piece, shai looks like a legit superstar. We have to give time to find the third piece. Admittedly the only players I feel confident in that role would be Jalen Williams or maybe Dieng but he's a long ways off. I haven't given up on Giddey being more than just a good passer. We also have the ability to trade for a star. At the same time, look at Memphis. They have one true superstar. I think Shai can and is on Ja's level. Who is their number two? Realistically we aren't building a dynasty.

Desmond Bane and it's really amazing since he was like the 30th pick and he's in his third year and he's already all star level or close to all star level. It just goes to illustrate, you can take forever, but the best way to get good fast and cheap if you're a small market is just to get really lucky in the draft. And unfortunately there's no timeline for good fortune.

Yea I agree. I think that’s where I have a hard time with development. We can take all of this time for guys like bazley, poku, Mann, etc. When it’s all said and done, what are we really left with? Maybe a marginal starter on a playoff team? A decent guy for the second unit? That’s a lot of time, effort and even money spent/lost for guys that likely won’t move the needle much.