2021 OKC Blue Season Thread

[spearsy23]

Poku is awesome and anyone poo-poo'ing him at this point is just entitled. But that's how our society is shaped. Instant gratification, success, etc. or it's not worth the time and effort. Problem is, all that time and effort is how you become great. Looking forward to what Poku looks like in a year!

Poku had a negative PER the majority of his time with the thunder and shot under 10% through the first ten games. Until the last g-league game, he was shooting 20% in the g-league.

You and I have a way different opinion on what the word “awesome” means.

Positivity is a great character trait. But some circumstances don’t justify it, and so far, poku has given few reasons to be positive.

It's not even being positive, man. You're judging him by standards that you judge NBA players by. Poku is not an NBA player yet. After a couple of years, pull out PER

By what standards to i need to judge him to consider him awesome? He hasn't been awesome by nba standards,, rookie standards, g-league standards, low tier international standards....

[spearsy23]

For one, that's an exhausting undertaking even if I wanted to try it, which I don't.

That’s a fair point. I just thought you might be able to list some I’ve missed off the top of your head.

But you're trying to get me to prove something that I never said. I never said he's going to be good. I said it's too early to make any judgement either way.

No, I was trying to have some hope for poku. I’m a thunder fan. I want him to succeed and am having a hard time thinking of examples that start like he has and then end up being good. I know it’s the internet and assuming bad intentions is a safe bet, but that’s not where I was going.

Dirk shot 20% from three his first year. I can’t remember the podcast (Hollinger and Duncan?) but they were comparing Poku’s rookie season to Dirks and talking about how Donnie Nelson almost got fired over the pick. Dirk’s numbers weren’t as bad but he had some similar struggles adjusting.

Dirk's numbers as a rookie really weren't even bad for a rookie. If poku ends up around there he will have shown a lot of flashes by the end of the season.


Flashes are what we're looking for right now, and unfortunate they haven't been there. I have no problem with rookies being bad, but I'm also not going to claim they're awesome because.... they're young?

[ThunderBolt]

That’s a fair point. I just thought you might be able to list some I’ve missed off the top of your head.



No, I was trying to have some hope for poku. I’m a thunder fan. I want him to succeed and am having a hard time thinking of examples that start like he has and then end up being good. I know it’s the internet and assuming bad intentions is a safe bet, but that’s not where I was going.

Dirk shot 20% from three his first year. I can’t remember the podcast (Hollinger and Duncan?) but they were comparing Poku’s rookie season to Dirks and talking about how Donnie Nelson almost got fired over the pick. Dirk’s numbers weren’t as bad but he had some similar struggles adjusting.

Dirk's numbers as a rookie really weren't even bad for a rookie. If poku ends up around there he will have shown a lot of flashes by the end of the season.


Flashes are what we're looking for right now, and unfortunate they haven't been there. I have no problem with rookies being bad, but I'm also not going to claim they're awesome because.... they're young?

I don’t think Poku has been good but I do think he’s shown a few things. He’s going to get stronger. He’s going to get smarter. The real key is if he can learn how to shoot. He’ll likely improve some but we haven’t had a good history with bad shooters learning how to shoot here. I think we’re due for that to happen.

[slick_watts]

poku looks awful in a bubble where moses brown looks like david robinson.

[slick_watts]

That’s a fair point. I just thought you might be able to list some I’ve missed off the top of your head.



No, I was trying to have some hope for poku. I’m a thunder fan. I want him to succeed and am having a hard time thinking of examples that start like he has and then end up being good. I know it’s the internet and assuming bad intentions is a safe bet, but that’s not where I was going.

Dirk shot 20% from three his first year. I can’t remember the podcast (Hollinger and Duncan?) but they were comparing Poku’s rookie season to Dirks and talking about how Donnie Nelson almost got fired over the pick. Dirk’s numbers weren’t as bad but he had some similar struggles adjusting.

Dirk's numbers as a rookie really weren't even bad for a rookie.

especially in 1998-99. league average ts% that season was 51.1%. dirk was at 49.1% so 2.0% below league average. that isn't terrible. by contrast, league average ts% this season is 57.1% and poku is at 30.1%. i don't even need to do that math, do i?

poku has to advance by a considerable amount to even resemble anything close to rookie dirk.

[jake_swivel]

Poku’s defense is fool’s gold, too. On the perimeter, dudes in the nba were always shooting on his closeouts. Poku doesn’t have the body control to shift to defending the drive after closing out hard. Once “pump fake” is added to his scouting report (if his numbers ever justify a team having one for him), he’s going to be toast. He will get weakside blocks and some steals due to length, but he’s not athletic enough to defend the perimeter. And that doesn’t even factor in that he’s an airhead on defense.

[mr570]

By what standards to i need to judge him to consider him awesome? He hasn't been awesome by nba standards,, rookie standards, g-league standards, low tier international standards....

He's the youngest player in the league playing in the NBA after just playing in some B-tier Serbian league. Gee, I dunno spearsy, you tell me?

[jake_swivel]

By what standards to i need to judge him to consider him awesome? He hasn't been awesome by nba standards,, rookie standards, g-league standards, low tier international standards....

He's the youngest player in the league playing in the NBA after just playing in some B-tier Serbian league. Gee, I dunno spearsy, you tell me?

Must’ve been another one of those “bad questions”.

[spearsy23]

By what standards to i need to judge him to consider him awesome? He hasn't been awesome by nba standards,, rookie standards, g-league standards, low tier international standards....

He's the youngest player in the league playing in the NBA after just playing in some B-tier Serbian league. Gee, I dunno spearsy, you tell me?

You're the one who said he was awesome, so tell me what standard is being used so I know the basis of the conversation. From where I'm sitting there's no rational reason to consider him awesome in the context of his professional basketball abilities. It's not even like he dominated some b-tier Serbian league....

[ThunderBolt]

He’s been bad. He’s very young. He might get better. He might not. It’s as simple as that.

[jake_swivel]

Poku shot poorly again in the latest game, but he had 19 boards. 12 points, 5 assists, 4 blocks, and 5 turnovers.

[ThunderBolt]

Poku shot poorly again in the latest game, but he had 19 boards. 12 points, 5 assists, 4 blocks, and 5 turnovers.

Apparantly he would get a steal and immediately turn it over.

[jake_swivel]

Apparantly he would get a steal and immediately turn it over.

Heh. What a strange basketball player. I’ve never seen anything quite like him in the nba. That’s not factoring in quality of play. He’s just very.....unique.

Skilled ball handler. Slick passer. Awkward in movement and decision making. So skinny, but seemingly competent rebounder. Occasionally good weakside defender. Disappears for long stretches. Weirdly confident with no seeming reason to be. Airhead.

Genuinely never seen anything like it.

[ThunderBolt]

Decent numbers today.

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[ThunderBolt]

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