OKC Thunder 2022-23 Regular Season Discussion

[RunOKC]

Anyone have thoughts on the Giddey/SGA fit so far? I've watched 5-6 games and it hasn't looked great so far. Giddey really needs the ball to do things on offense and can't shoot, but taking the offense out of SGA's hands is just bad strategy. Not a great defender either. We probably won't trade him because he's Presti's guy but thought I'd get other opinions.

In regards to Tre Mann/the rotation: Do you guys think Mark D has full control over the rotation/lineups? I've gotten the vibe during this tank that Presti has a big part in who plays/starts throughout the year.

[Xatticus]

Anyone have thoughts on the Giddey/SGA fit so far? I've watched 5-6 games and it hasn't looked great so far. Giddey really needs the ball to do things on offense and can't shoot, but taking the offense out of SGA's hands is just bad strategy. Not a great defender either. We probably won't trade him because he's Presti's guy but thought I'd get other opinions.

In regards to Tre Mann/the rotation: Do you guys think Mark D has full control over the rotation/lineups? I've gotten the vibe during this tank that Presti has a big part in who plays/starts throughout the year.

He isn't coaching to win right now. He has stated explicitly that development is the primary goal for this year.

[ThunderBolt]

I don’t think Presti has any say in the lineups from game to game. I think he and coach d know what they want to do over the course of a year.

Giddey and Shai don’t fit. I’m completely fine with giving Giddey more time to improve on his weaknesses.

[Dadouv47]

Jalen WIlliams is the kind of player we wanted Dort to be.

[ThunderBolt]

By the way, I think Dieng is overlooked because we have so much youth. I feel better about him than I felt about Poku, Mann, Bazley and Ferguson at this point in their careers. I dont know if Dieng because any type of star but I don’t see him being a bust by any means.

[ThunderBolt]

Also, we’re at the point in the season where the trends we’ve seen start to be more representative of what we can expect the rest of the season. I see a role for Bazley on this team if the price is right.

Thinking about Poku’s first two years and Bazley’s first three, really makes me wonder why some aren’t more willing to give Josh more time figure this out. If we could trade him for Wagner or Barnes, I’d do it in a heartbeat but we know that isn’t happening.

[Dadouv47]

By the way, I think Dieng is overlooked because we have so much youth. I feel better about him than I felt about Poku, Mann, Bazley and Ferguson at this point in their careers. I dont know if Dieng because any type of star but I don’t see him being a bust by any means.

I agree and maybe it's unfair towards Dieng but it's normal to expect a lot from a guy that cost us 3 FRPs, was drafted at #11 and went ahead of some talented prospects in the draft. We will have to be patient about him anyway, no way to draw conclusions after one season.

[Woerzboerg]

We really got the wrong LA picks...Clippers are a playoff team without PG13/Kawhi

SGA is worth more than the picks though .

Of course. The PG13 trade was great even if we get picks #30 and #30 in 2024 and 2026. That wasn't my point...Clippers missing both their stars and still being able to have a decent record (GSW was terrible in 2020 and Lakers could give NOLA Victor or Scoot in the next draft).

Credit to the Clippers FO for doing a great job and they are lucky to have a rich owner willing to pay a lot in tax no matter what

Yet we got SGA, JDub and Tre Mann out of that deal, while 3 more picks (2 x Clippers, 1 x Miami) and two swaps (though the one in this season may not happen) are still pending. That's more than ok.

[QPR]

They're a poor fit and SGA really doesn't fit into the timeline of where they are at right now. He's basically exploded into a win now star.

Giddey is a very unique player but if he becomes a star it's not going to be off-ball.

Fascinated as to what Presti does. It's a small market and he doesn't have a prime Westbrook to sell to stars, so giving one away would be very ballsy.

[ThunderBolt]

SGA really doesn't fit into the timeline of where they are at right now. He's basically exploded into a win now star.

That’s just not true. Middleton is 4 years older than Giannis. Lebron is 9+ older than AD. CP3 is 11+ years older than Booker. Butler is 8 years older than Bam. I good go on with other examples. This is a popular realgm opinion that isn’t based in fact. Your core doesn’t need to have been in the same kindergarten class.

[QPR]

I am thinking more regarding whether SGA is happy to stay at this point when there's clearly still so much experimenting going on, not whether Presti would keep him. He's obviously still a very young for a star but you compare him to Morant in Memphis and they have surrounded him with pieces that can win now.

[ThunderBolt]

I am thinking more regarding whether SGA is happy to stay at this point when there's clearly still so much experimenting going on, not whether Presti would keep him. He's obviously still a very young for a star but you compare him to Morant in Memphis and they have surrounded him with pieces that can win now.

That’s fine and fair. Give us an opportunity to get Chet on the floor, one more year of development for the roster, one more lottery pick and one more offseason to make moves. if we are at the all star break next year and look no different, I’ll change my opinion.

[slick_watts]

Jalen WIlliams is the kind of player we wanted Dort to be.

he's pretty bad on defense.

[kdthunderup]

Jalen WIlliams is the kind of player we wanted Dort to be.

he's pretty bad on defense.

Do you have many examples? Dort is only really good as a point of attack defender - Williams is better off the ball.

[retrobro90]

I can't imagine Shai feeling any type of way about how this season is going tbh. We're the youngest team in the league and he signed for 5 years with no PO. IF he ever becomes disgruntled it will obviously be behind the scenes and while it's impossible to tell what his private thoughts and opinions are--he doesn't strike me as the type of personality to rock the boat so publicly that it damages relationships inside the team.

Something to consider for Morant is that the Grizz didn't just have Morant then trade for a ton of win now pieces (outside of Adams). They built through the draft the way we are. They just happened to hit hard late on the Bane pick and got JJJ in 2018. It's not as though Memphis has been fast forwarding the process the way Nola did with AD (Jrue, Eric Gordon trades etc etc).

As far as the Giddey/Shai fit I'm still willing to be patient there too. I hope that in time and with Chet in the mix that Giddey's overall attitude/positivity starts to change. It's kind of clear right now that the personal dynamics between him and the rest of the roster are less than ideal. Body language isn't the best and he doesn't pal around with anyone on the bench right now. Pure speculation here but I think there's some guys that are a little upset with the entitlement that comes with being the 6th overall pick in addition to the fact that he's kind of a know-it-all teenage chalamet lookalike. I still see a lot of good qualities in him though and I actually like that he's been more willing to take mid range shots lately even if holistically that isn't the most efficient shot for our offense. It's ultimately gonna be a necessary one for him if he's ever gonna make that jump and we've seen him hit tough/crucial ones in crunch time.

[QPR]

Yeah Memphis perhaps not the best example to use, as they really drafted and developed well so that by the time Morant emerged, they already had a lot of good pieces. Was more an example of how when you have that player take a step from being an emerging player to a genuine star, you want to make sure you take advantage of that.

The other thing Memphis has done well as they have really just drafted for fundamentals and smart players. So then you insert Morant in and he is surrounded by guys who know how to move off ball, know how to space, shoot etc. Whereas Presti still seems obsessed with finding that next unicorn and drafting unique prospects. He would never have drafted Bane, for example (although tbf, Memphis technically didn't draft Bane).

[Dadouv47]

Shai is in a way better spot than Luka. Worse than young players like Trae or Morant but he knows our team can improve a lot with the guys we are developing + our future assets...an healthy Chet is a big deal though.

[Dadouv47]

Wonder if we could find a deal with Utah to get another FRP in the next draft and send their 2024 FRP back. Feels like this is likely the last draft we should be really aggressive before improving via trade.

[Xatticus]

Also, we’re at the point in the season where the trends we’ve seen start to be more representative of what we can expect the rest of the season. I see a role for Bazley on this team if the price is right.

Thinking about Poku’s first two years and Bazley’s first three, really makes me wonder why some aren’t more willing to give Josh more time figure this out. If we could trade him for Wagner or Barnes, I’d do it in a heartbeat but we know that isn’t happening.

Would you deal Giddey for Wendell Carter Jr? WCJ is still Orlando's best player at the moment and he is on a very modest contract. My only concern with WCJ is his availability.

[slick_watts]

some interesting synergy #'s. thunder are in the 60th percentile offensively in the half court. unexpected. but they are in the halfcourt only about 80% of the time, the least amount in the nba. they spend 20% of their time in transition. usually, this would be a good thing, since all else being equal transition points are easier to come by than half court points.

but the thunder are in the 37th percentile in transition. the thunder are 1st in the nba at limiting transition turnovers, and 4th at drawing shooting fouls in transition. but they are dead last at eFG% in transition.

synergy doesn't allow plebes like me to review video clips anymore, but i suspect it would reveal two things. first, the thunder attempt a lot of very poor shot attempts near the rim in transition since the team is full of poor decision makers in that regard. second, when they do get 3pt attempts in transition, obvioulsy this isn't a world beater 3pt shooting team in the first place and those won't be high percentage most of the time (relative to the league).

i think this bodes well for the future though, especially if what we saw from chet is any indicition of our future plans. chet acting as the trailing three point threat (not a ball handler please) in transition was nice in summer league, and i think it could help transform the team significantly offensively. probably more so than any other contribution he'll make as a rookie on that end of the floor.