2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th

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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#61 » by getrichordie » Sat Oct 6, 2018 8:05 am

CROklahoma wrote:I loved everything Diallo showed as a rookie on the court.
He's already somewhat big, good hands, athletic, and agressive on both ends.

Like him a lot more than Ferguson ...


Agreed. He already looks more ready than Ferguson. Also, Diallo is 2 months younger than Ferguson. He just turned 20 back in July.


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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#62 » by kdthunderup » Sat Oct 6, 2018 8:37 am

I expect our bench to be one of our bright spots this season once Westbrook returns. You will have Schroder leading the unit, Abrines spacing the floor, Grant and Noel locking down the paint and causing a lot turnovers and one of TLC, Ferguson, Diallo filling the other wing position.
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2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#63 » by getrichordie » Sat Oct 6, 2018 9:07 am

kdthunderup wrote:I expect our bench to be one of our bright spots this season once Westbrook returns. You will have Schroder leading the unit, Abrines spacing the floor, Grant and Noel locking down the paint and causing a lot turnovers and one of TLC, Ferguson, Diallo filling the other wing position.


My bet is TLC fills our back up 3 spot. He’s really the only one with size (besides Nader) that can possibly guard the 3. Diallo can probably guard some 3s but TLC has the size advantage. He has the highest ceiling out of those 3 for THIS season.

I’m really wondering our sub rotation is going to be. Are we going to try and plug TLC in early for George so Schroder and George can run second unit while Westbrook plays some minutes with Schroder, TLC (?), Grant and Adams before subbing out?

I see Patterson and George subbing out somewhat early for TLC and Grant so as to be played with the second unit. I think Patterson will be most effective on second unit. Also, I wonder how much we will try a Schroder, Westbrook, Abrines lineup.

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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#64 » by Pillendreher » Sat Oct 6, 2018 10:43 am

Knrstz wrote:Hot take- Adams has gotten better. A lot.


I wanted to post about this too. He looks even more fluid offensively and all the other stuff he's been doing is still there. He's currently averaging 22/18 per 36 in the preseason. :lol:

I just hope his improvement is for real and he can finally stop hitting rock bottom in January/February.

slick_watts wrote:schroeder's defense is not good. i can't see how he will work with westbrook.


Very rough game for him. He looked engaged defensively in the scrimmage and in the game vs the Pistons, but man, he was bad this time around. Just not giving effort on defense, forcing up shots, sloppy passing. I hope it's just variance.

bondom34 wrote:Also hot take maybe: The bench might not be bad. Especially when Schroder gets bumped there. Yeah the wings stink but maybe depth fills some of the drop off there.


I think it could finally be good defensively. Noel is going to make a big difference (when was the last time the Thunder's 2nd unit actually had a good defensive Center? Thabeet?) and paired with the wings they might be able to play the passing lanes quite regularly.

-------------------------

I can't help myself: To me, it looks like Diallo >> Ferguson. Both are raw and similar players, but whereas Ferguson is "just out there", Diallo actually looks like he's contributing. Defensively he looks to be more of a presence (I was focusing on him for a couple of plays while watching the replay and he looked very disciplined, recovering well, not allowing open lanes) and offensively he does more things than just standing around like Ferguson. Hell, he even ran a PnR a couple of times. If Ferguson gets the ball and isn't open, he's just not doing anything with it. Last night he got it on the perimeter, dribbled twice without moving and then passed it to a teammate. Diallo meanwhile took it to the rim a couple of times even though he wasn't the only guy in the vecinity.

I was also glad that Burton got minutes. He looks like he might be one of the wing bench wings that can actually attack off the dribble.

Another thing I've noticed: It looks like Abrines is doing more things than just taking spot up 3s. He took a couple of 3s on the move (off curls, screens) and tried to find his teammates with passes (to Grant on the wing, trying an alley-oop with Noel) these first two games. We'll have to see if this is him expanding his offensive game or if it's just Donovan making him do things he cannot do.
"I don't know of any player that, when the shot goes up, he doesn't want it to go in," Donovan said
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#65 » by ThunderBolt » Sat Oct 6, 2018 10:56 am

Pillendreher wrote:I was also glad that Burton got minutes. He looks like he might be one of the wing bench wings that can actually attack off the dribble.

Another thing I've noticed: It looks like Abrines is doing more things than just taking spot up 3s. He took a couple of 3s on the move (off curls, screens) and tried to find his teammates with passes (to Grant on the wing, trying an alley-oop with Noel) these first two games. We'll have to see if this is him expanding his offensive game or if it's just Donovan making him do things he cannot do.

Pretty much agree with all of this. In most situations when Ferguson gets the ball he seems to get rid of it as quick as possible. I wouldn’t say he’s scared but he’s just a non factor. For a gun labeled as a shooter, so many of his threes seem way off to the left or right. Considering most of his shots are wide open, that’s concerning.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#66 » by Pillendreher » Sat Oct 6, 2018 11:00 am

Knrstz wrote:
Pillendreher wrote:I was also glad that Burton got minutes. He looks like he might be one of the wing bench wings that can actually attack off the dribble.

Another thing I've noticed: It looks like Abrines is doing more things than just taking spot up 3s. He took a couple of 3s on the move (off curls, screens) and tried to find his teammates with passes (to Grant on the wing, trying an alley-oop with Noel) these first two games. We'll have to see if this is him expanding his offensive game or if it's just Donovan making him do things he cannot do.

Pretty much agree with all of this. In most situations when Ferguson gets the ball he seems to get rid of it as quick as possible. I wouldn’t say he’s scared but he’s just a non factor. For a gun labeled as a shooter, so many of his threes seem way off to the left or right. Considering most of his shots are wide open, that’s concerning.


You know, we just might be looking at a guy who's been on the Thunder for too long. You remember how Corey Brewer was moving off the ball and come April, he was just standing around the whole time? Maybe Freguson has fallen prey to that phenomenon as well and Burton and Diallo are still new enough to actually do something off the ball. Parking role players in the corner/on the wing and not having them do anything is not new with the Thunder.

But still: I just don't see it with Ferguson right now. He looks like he's just a warm body to put on the floor, nothing more, nothing less.
"I don't know of any player that, when the shot goes up, he doesn't want it to go in," Donovan said
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#67 » by ThunderBolt » Sat Oct 6, 2018 11:13 am

Also, as much as i want to believe Adams is improved, some of it is the pathetic defense of KAT. I struggle to buy in to the hype around towns. On multiple occasions hes been physically dominated by Adams. KAT normally puts up good numbers but he’s soft as charmin. I think having Wiggins next to him takes some of the heat off of him that he should be getting.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#68 » by Old Man Game » Sat Oct 6, 2018 11:57 am

Diallo had some nice moments last night. There was a play where they ball was advanced to him in sort of a delayed break scenario (Minny didn't have its defense set yet) and he just put it on the floor and drove hard at the rim. He did miss the contested layup but Noel cleaned it up. That's the sort of stuff you just seldom see Ferguson do. Diallo may actually end up sucking for all I know, but I like that he's aggressive looks to actually impact the game.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#69 » by Pillendreher » Sat Oct 6, 2018 12:10 pm

Yeah, he's always feasting on the Timberwolves. But he still looks improved to me. Yesterday not so much, but in the first game they actually ran some offense through him and he was finding guys. When he gets the ball back, he isn't playing hot potato, but is actually keeping the offense alive.

We'll see what happens throughout the first few weeks of the regular season, but so far I'm impressed.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#70 » by spearsy23 » Sat Oct 6, 2018 1:16 pm

Knrstz wrote:Also, as much as i want to believe Adams is improved, some of it is the pathetic defense of KAT. I struggle to buy in to the hype around towns. On multiple occasions hes been physically dominated by Adams. KAT normally puts up good numbers but he’s soft as charmin. I think having Wiggins next to him takes some of the heat off of him that he should be getting.

Regardless of the defense he showed some amazingly soft touch on a couple of back to back baskets in the first half. One was a baby hook and the other a floater. We know he has the floater but he knocked it down from a really awkward area that felt too close for it and too far away for a layup.
“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#71 » by spearsy23 » Sat Oct 6, 2018 1:44 pm

Regarding Ferguson, you want ball movers in your offense (like Klay) but they need to be good enough shooters that their off ball movement and general gravity keep defenses honest (like Klay). I don't think his lack of aggression is a problem in a vacuum, it's a problem when he isn't good to great in any other facet of the game.
“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#72 » by getrichordie » Sat Oct 6, 2018 2:19 pm

Pillendreher wrote:
Knrstz wrote:
Pillendreher wrote:I was also glad that Burton got minutes. He looks like he might be one of the wing bench wings that can actually attack off the dribble.

Another thing I've noticed: It looks like Abrines is doing more things than just taking spot up 3s. He took a couple of 3s on the move (off curls, screens) and tried to find his teammates with passes (to Grant on the wing, trying an alley-oop with Noel) these first two games. We'll have to see if this is him expanding his offensive game or if it's just Donovan making him do things he cannot do.

Pretty much agree with all of this. In most situations when Ferguson gets the ball he seems to get rid of it as quick as possible. I wouldn’t say he’s scared but he’s just a non factor. For a gun labeled as a shooter, so many of his threes seem way off to the left or right. Considering most of his shots are wide open, that’s concerning.


You know, we just might be looking at a guy who's been on the Thunder for too long. You remember how Corey Brewer was moving off the ball and come April, he was just standing around the whole time? Maybe Freguson has fallen prey to that phenomenon as well and Burton and Diallo are still new enough to actually do something off the ball. Parking role players in the corner/on the wing and not having them do anything is not new with the Thunder.

But still: I just don't see it with Ferguson right now. He looks like he's just a warm body to put on the floor, nothing more, nothing less.


I think that’s a wild take on Ferguson and the Thunder’s offense somehow causing Ferguson and other wings to just stand still off-ball. From what I’ve seen from the offense there has been a lot of off-ball screens and cutting in general. Ferguson just doesn’t have much of a game yet.

Brewer doesn’t have much of a game, either. Is he even on a team this year? Roberson doesn’t have a great offensive game.

The list goes on.

It just so happens that it’s hard to find wings in this league who can space the floor. Ferguson isn’t a guy who is going to be a JJ Redick. If he develops into anything, he will just be a pure spot-up 3 guy who makes hustle plays. I really think that is his ceiling.


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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#73 » by spearsy23 » Sat Oct 6, 2018 4:20 pm

What? It's easier than ever to find wings that can space the floor.
“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#74 » by Kizz Fastfists » Sat Oct 6, 2018 5:02 pm

Knrstz wrote:Also, as much as i want to believe Adams is improved, some of it is the pathetic defense of KAT. I struggle to buy in to the hype around towns. On multiple occasions hes been physically dominated by Adams. KAT normally puts up good numbers but he’s soft as charmin. I think having Wiggins next to him takes some of the heat off of him that he should be getting.


That is why I think a trade along the lines of Adams, Abrines and Ferguson for Butler and Dieng makes sense. I don't think Minny would take Roberson as part of the package after the most recent set back when his career was already in serious question after the injury, but they might want him over Abrines given Thibs' love for defense. Adams would give Minny the toughness they need at center and KAT can play against "softer" PFs. Similar to Dirk who had the reputation for being soft early in his career because he couldn't bang in the paint. KAT has the stretch ability on offense to do that and the athleticism to guard PFs on defense.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#75 » by bondom34 » Sat Oct 6, 2018 5:12 pm

That's way more than anyone's giving for Butler at this point.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#76 » by Kizz Fastfists » Sat Oct 6, 2018 5:14 pm

Keep in mind that Ferguson was the 3rd youngest player in the entire NBA last year and is still one of the 25 or so youngest players on a roster. Ferguson also had a higher eFG% and TS% than Kobe did as a rookie. Yes, I am higher on Ferguson than most and have no problems admitting it.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#77 » by spearsy23 » Sat Oct 6, 2018 5:42 pm

Kizz Fastfists wrote:Keep in mind that Ferguson was the 3rd youngest player in the entire NBA last year and is still one of the 25 or so youngest players on a roster. Ferguson also had a higher eFG% and TS% than Kobe did as a rookie. Yes, I am higher on Ferguson than most and have no problems admitting it.

I like Ferguson, I think he could be Danny greenesque, but this was just a ridiculous post. Using those measures he was better than Donovan Mitchell too!
“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#78 » by Kizz Fastfists » Sat Oct 6, 2018 5:57 pm

spearsy23 wrote:I like Ferguson, I think he could be Danny greenesque, but this was just a ridiculous post. Using those measures he was better than Donovan Mitchell too!


I didn't say he was better than Kobe. I said he was a more efficient shooter than Kobe as a rookie. Keep in mind that Kobe came off the bench as a rookie and only averaged 15 MPG which puts him and Ferguson in similar roles as rookies. Mitchell doesn't fit any comparison because he was the primary offense for Utah so him being slightly less efficient on a significantly higher volume doesn't negate all the other things Mitchell did better last year. Mitchell is 22 and Ferguson is 20 so there is also a healthy age gap there which means Ferguson has all of this year to develop to enter his 3rd season at the same age Mitchell was as a rookie.

Ferguson was more efficient, using eFG% and TS% than Russ. I'm not going to say he is better than Russ because Russ does so much more than shoot. The point was more about Ferguson being in a good spot for his age to at a minimum be a 3&D guy which would meet the expectations of most people. I have higher expectations of him, but that is well documented here. I have also said that it will be his 3rd year when I expect him to break out. If given the starting SG job and backup SF minutes, assuming Schroder gets the bulk of the SG time even coming off the bench as has been implied, I expect Ferguson to be a solid 3&D wing this year as he continues to get more comfortable and his aggression increases as the season goes on and he gets more comfortable. I don't see Abrines or TLC as better options than Ferguson, although Abrines is better on the offensive end today but defense does matter and with Roberson being the player the starting SG is replacing I don't think Abrines is really in consideration for the starting job.

TLC might get the nod as he has been around longer, but I think that will be a mistake. I should probably expect TLC and Grant to start with Donovan calling the shots, because shooting and spacing are not needed. I also can't wait until we see Russ, Schroder, Grant, Noel and Adams out there together and Russ can't find anyone to pass to that could make a three when he drives and there are 4 defenders in the paint.
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#79 » by Pillendreher » Sat Oct 6, 2018 6:56 pm

Kizz Fastfists wrote:Ferguson was more efficient, using eFG% and TS% than Russ


Keep in mind that all he did was make 3s (at an below average clip) and take wide open shots at the rim last season. Every single 3PM of his was assisted and 77 % of his 2PM were. Out of those players with at least 100 FGA last season, he had the 10th highest %Ast'd in the league. No 7 btw: TLC. :P
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Re: 2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason | October 3rd - October 9th 

Post#80 » by ozwizard8 » Sat Oct 6, 2018 7:03 pm

Kizz Fastfists wrote:
Knrstz wrote:Also, as much as i want to believe Adams is improved, some of it is the pathetic defense of KAT. I struggle to buy in to the hype around towns. On multiple occasions hes been physically dominated by Adams. KAT normally puts up good numbers but he’s soft as charmin. I think having Wiggins next to him takes some of the heat off of him that he should be getting.


That is why I think a trade along the lines of Adams, Abrines and Ferguson for Butler and Dieng makes sense. I don't think Minny would take Roberson as part of the package after the most recent set back when his career was already in serious question after the injury, but they might want him over Abrines given Thibs' love for defense. Adams would give Minny the toughness they need at center and KAT can play against "softer" PFs. Similar to Dirk who had the reputation for being soft early in his career because he couldn't bang in the paint. KAT has the stretch ability on offense to do that and the athleticism to guard PFs on defense.

Why are we trading Adams though? He's probably top 10 center if not top 5.
He isnt injury prone. He gets better every year. Good teammate.
We dont have any PF/C that deserves more minutes in rotation.

Already have wb-schroder-pg that can create with ball. I wouldnt say no to Butler but trading adams going to make bigger hole than we have in SG.


BTW I really like Schoder so far.
He's better playmaker than WB. WB playing SG going to be much better for this team.
PG's around the league are biggest offensive threats for their respective team. SG position is weak and most players are 3&D type of players.
WB even in playoffs against Rubio didnt look good defensively. I know he needs to save energy for offense so he can do it better at SG against most teams.
Let Schroder put some pressure on ball and defend the pg. He's a better playmaker and he can set the tempo better too. WB can also benefit from that too.

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