Don't look now (or do...) but the OKC Blue have somehow cobbled together a 5 game winning streak and are now in the playoff picture.
It's actually a possibility to make up ground yet. Two games vs Greensboro Swarm which needs two wins to get near playoffs... then Birmingham, which could be eliminated from POs when we play them.
vs Dallas (Texas Legends) and a competitive division game.
and finally vs near the top of the East, the Delaware Blue Coats (& defending champs). They could be resting for the playoffs ?
It's crazy to think this team has turned around their performances, and my analysis is...they are playing NBA players
Dieng is finally playing better, Sarr, and Keyonte provide good defense and rebounding, and some of the dead weight is not being relied upon as much.
OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
Cheers
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
OKC Blue have only lost one game in the past 10, a close defeat to Greensboro Swarm [edit: Did you know Kent Bazemore is in the GL? Neither did I, but he's playing for the GBSwarm!], but has handily placed themselves at 3rd for a guaranteed playoff berth. One game left, vs the Delaware Blue Coats, and minimum 19 wins secured. Can secure the #2 or #3 seed with 20th win vs Delaware, a loss puts OKC in range of 4,5,6. And only 6 teams make it in.
I thought they were dead in the water in February, but have since turned it around. Some strange things happen with GL teams, like players getting called up near the end of the season (the best ones get NBA TW contracts normally, or 10-days.) The teams where that happens, they sometimes struggle. Or in OKC's case, our "kindof" possession dominant 2-guard, Ja'hmius Ramsey was signed by the Raps, and we've gone on a big run of wins. [I'm unsure if some other teams above us in the table had players signed to NBA squads.]
A case of addition by subtraction perhaps ? I don't have #s to back that up but I do have my eye-test, which hopefully is alright here, for now.
Ramsey is a curious case of a GL player, he's a very solid scorer, he has drive potential and handle to get where he wants. He's not the greatest defender, and hustle can vary, but he has provided big moments getting steals and running the break, providing offense when needed. Shackleford and Ramsey shot well and powered the Blue to some wins early in the season, and I praised how this team's guard play is a defining factor of how we operated. I actually thought he's one of the most NBA ready guards in the GL because of this offensive package. Notwithstanding, he was signed by the guard-needy Raptors.
Never was I a proponent of Ramsey's defensive accolades as he seems slow-footed as a wing defender and not very useful as a post defender in any sense. It's possible relying on this guy for some bench offense was actually causing more Losses, despite some impressive offense. Now, our team has been using a LOT more of Lindy Waters III, Dieng, and Sarr within the rotations. It simply makes our team look more balanced, and they are definitely larger.
[I mentioned in one of the other posts above that we're winning games because we are playing NBA players]. These 3 guys have been playing a lot better, Dieng has looked a lot more comfortable, and Sarr had a HUGE game vs Birmingham (22p-26r) to power both sides of the ball. He had 10+ offensive rebounds. That's the kind of post-presence that dominates games.
Keyonte also is a presence in the GL after finding his footing. He will definitely be in the OKC org next season.
As many of you know, I am an Oliver Sarr fan, and really think he needs some PT as our primary backup C. In the offseason, I'd like for OKC to convert him to a 3/~10M deal Ng-year 3. He deserves a contract in the NBA and could be an in-house solution to some of our rebounding issues. Sarr is also decent with his shot, not a standout shooter, but he is willing to take a variety of shots, 3s, and soft turnarounds. He impresses me with his verticality and rebounding, offensive package, more than Jaylen Williams [which isn't saying much].
To be honest, Jaylin Williams has mostly avoided the GL, I would have liked to see how he performed at that level [for extended run] as a point of comparison between the two.
I thought they were dead in the water in February, but have since turned it around. Some strange things happen with GL teams, like players getting called up near the end of the season (the best ones get NBA TW contracts normally, or 10-days.) The teams where that happens, they sometimes struggle. Or in OKC's case, our "kindof" possession dominant 2-guard, Ja'hmius Ramsey was signed by the Raps, and we've gone on a big run of wins. [I'm unsure if some other teams above us in the table had players signed to NBA squads.]
A case of addition by subtraction perhaps ? I don't have #s to back that up but I do have my eye-test, which hopefully is alright here, for now.
Ramsey is a curious case of a GL player, he's a very solid scorer, he has drive potential and handle to get where he wants. He's not the greatest defender, and hustle can vary, but he has provided big moments getting steals and running the break, providing offense when needed. Shackleford and Ramsey shot well and powered the Blue to some wins early in the season, and I praised how this team's guard play is a defining factor of how we operated. I actually thought he's one of the most NBA ready guards in the GL because of this offensive package. Notwithstanding, he was signed by the guard-needy Raptors.
Never was I a proponent of Ramsey's defensive accolades as he seems slow-footed as a wing defender and not very useful as a post defender in any sense. It's possible relying on this guy for some bench offense was actually causing more Losses, despite some impressive offense. Now, our team has been using a LOT more of Lindy Waters III, Dieng, and Sarr within the rotations. It simply makes our team look more balanced, and they are definitely larger.
[I mentioned in one of the other posts above that we're winning games because we are playing NBA players]. These 3 guys have been playing a lot better, Dieng has looked a lot more comfortable, and Sarr had a HUGE game vs Birmingham (22p-26r) to power both sides of the ball. He had 10+ offensive rebounds. That's the kind of post-presence that dominates games.
Keyonte also is a presence in the GL after finding his footing. He will definitely be in the OKC org next season.
As many of you know, I am an Oliver Sarr fan, and really think he needs some PT as our primary backup C. In the offseason, I'd like for OKC to convert him to a 3/~10M deal Ng-year 3. He deserves a contract in the NBA and could be an in-house solution to some of our rebounding issues. Sarr is also decent with his shot, not a standout shooter, but he is willing to take a variety of shots, 3s, and soft turnarounds. He impresses me with his verticality and rebounding, offensive package, more than Jaylen Williams [which isn't saying much].
To be honest, Jaylin Williams has mostly avoided the GL, I would have liked to see how he performed at that level [for extended run] as a point of comparison between the two.
Cheers
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
@ HOME vs RGV Vipers in R1 of the playoffs on Tuesday April 2nd
The 3 seed OKC Blue take on the 6 seed Rockets' GL team (Rio Grande Valley Vipers).
RGV features some players which gave OKC Blue some fits in this season's earlier matchup.
former MN lottery pick Jarrett Culver
Darius Days, a savvy young combo forward
A piece of a Thunder trade package years ago in Jalen Leque
Cam Whitmore is likely going to stay up with the main club, as will Amen Thompson [these two players played really well vs OKC earlier in the year].
OKC has Dieng/Sarr/Keyonte/Lindy/Shackleford as the primary 5 with Maldonado/McConnell/Flager as big piece on the bench now.
The 3 seed OKC Blue take on the 6 seed Rockets' GL team (Rio Grande Valley Vipers).
RGV features some players which gave OKC Blue some fits in this season's earlier matchup.
former MN lottery pick Jarrett Culver
Darius Days, a savvy young combo forward
A piece of a Thunder trade package years ago in Jalen Leque
Cam Whitmore is likely going to stay up with the main club, as will Amen Thompson [these two players played really well vs OKC earlier in the year].
OKC has Dieng/Sarr/Keyonte/Lindy/Shackleford as the primary 5 with Maldonado/McConnell/Flager as big piece on the bench now.
Cheers
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
OKC win by 1 over RGV Vipers! on to the next playoff game!
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
Dieng is gonna leave soon if he doesnt play more NBA time ! he's way too good for G League
Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
Moving on to the Western Conference Finals! (vs Stockton Kings)
I can't believe this team has rallied from below .500 to a finalist. The guys played really well in a close 3Q game vs Sioux Falls Skyforce. In the 4th, the Miami GL squad just couldn't hit shots, even if open, and OKC had some clutch work to win.
In roster news, Jah'mius Ramsey has returned from his 2 10 day contracts with Toronto and has returned to the OKC Blue and played in this game. Helped us with some good shots and looked less flat footed on D.
I can't believe this team has rallied from below .500 to a finalist. The guys played really well in a close 3Q game vs Sioux Falls Skyforce. In the 4th, the Miami GL squad just couldn't hit shots, even if open, and OKC had some clutch work to win.
In roster news, Jah'mius Ramsey has returned from his 2 10 day contracts with Toronto and has returned to the OKC Blue and played in this game. Helped us with some good shots and looked less flat footed on D.
Cheers
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
We are going to the GL Championship game!!! Let's go!
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
Went to game 2 tonight! Fun to see Lindy completely lights out. Jordan Walsh is 1000% an nba player. Would love to somehow steal him from Boston and get him with Chip. Shot is already miles ahead of where it was in his Arkansas tenure.
Wherever anyone's expectations are around Ous they should probably be lower. He looks awful right now. Outside of a few late game rebounds he was very rough tonight. Processing speed is way too slow and everything he does with the ball is tepid and second-guessed. Part of his struggles tonight can be attributed to how good Walsh is defensively but in any matchup he still looks very very lost.
Wherever anyone's expectations are around Ous they should probably be lower. He looks awful right now. Outside of a few late game rebounds he was very rough tonight. Processing speed is way too slow and everything he does with the ball is tepid and second-guessed. Part of his struggles tonight can be attributed to how good Walsh is defensively but in any matchup he still looks very very lost.
Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
Excellent! I'm glad to hear you went. It looked like a fun game.
We're in the GL equivalent of a NBA Finals G7 on the road.
On the road in Maine for the elimination game in the GL Finals. I'm surprised we have made it this far but highly encouraged with the fight of this team throughout the season. They have a chance to win it all and bring OKC Blue / Tulsa 66ers the first championship in the GL/NBA DL to the state.
Our franchise DID win consecutive championships as the Asheville (NC) Altitude in 2004/5 I think, but none sofar in Oklahoma.
Maine has never won the GL/NBA DL championship and look poised to do so if Walsh plays well again and they get solid bench contributions again. I can only hope that the OKC team shows up and pulls the upset on the road, would be sweet for the guys and they get bonuses for this as well surely.
We're in the GL equivalent of a NBA Finals G7 on the road.
On the road in Maine for the elimination game in the GL Finals. I'm surprised we have made it this far but highly encouraged with the fight of this team throughout the season. They have a chance to win it all and bring OKC Blue / Tulsa 66ers the first championship in the GL/NBA DL to the state.
Our franchise DID win consecutive championships as the Asheville (NC) Altitude in 2004/5 I think, but none sofar in Oklahoma.
Maine has never won the GL/NBA DL championship and look poised to do so if Walsh plays well again and they get solid bench contributions again. I can only hope that the OKC team shows up and pulls the upset on the road, would be sweet for the guys and they get bonuses for this as well surely.
Cheers
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!
if not in the NBA this year, at least we can revel in that our GL team brought home the first championship to OKC or Tulsa in the franchise's time here. Excellent work, team, and I'll be recapping this historic season later this week!
if not in the NBA this year, at least we can revel in that our GL team brought home the first championship to OKC or Tulsa in the franchise's time here. Excellent work, team, and I'll be recapping this historic season later this week!
Cheers
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
Clav's review of the OKC Blue 2023-24 season
Winter Showcase Result: 2nd in South Division, 10-6
[2 wins vs the East in the Final Showcase games Cleveland Charge and Wisconsin Herd]
Regular Season Result: Qualified for Playoffs as the 3rd Seed in Western Conference, 21-13
Aggregated Record: 31-19
Playoffs Results:
GL Playoffs R1 vs Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston) - W 126-125 OT [target score/Elam ending]
GL Playoffs Western Semifinals @ Sioux Falls Sky Force (Miami) - W 111-93
GL Playoffs Western Finals @ Stockton Kings (Sacramento) - W 114-107
GL Finals @ Maine Celtics (Boston) - L 86-106 [Maine leads 1-0]
GL Finals vs Maine Celtics (Boston) - W 99-89 [Series Tied 1-1]
GL Finals @ Maine Celtics (Boston) - W 117-100 [OKC Wins 2-1]
The season was a great success with a Championship! There were some bumps along the way, but here's some information that everyone might find useful from my time watching this team.
I thought they were dead in the water in the RS in February. Far behind the leaders, but they played REALLY well to close out the year, probably some of the best clutch performances from an OKC developmental team in my time following the team. I had to write up a review for this history-making season. A+ for fighting to win a championship, and surviving the challenges to make the plays when they counted.
RS stars : Jaden Shackleford, Jahmius Ramsey, & Keyonte Johnson
Playoff stars : Ousmane Dieng, Olivier Sarr, Lindy Waters III, Adam Flager
The key to this season was that we played very well as a guard-initation team, like the big club does, for much of the first half of the year. Our guard play won us games, or lost us games. However the rest of the court was pretty good matchups overall. When we had our 3 solid defenders on the wing helping the team defense, our floor-bound C's were just equal enough to stay average. Once we added LATE in the year, our super-sniper Lindy Waters, and our primary C, Oliver Sarr [who I think was nursing some injuries or with OKC Thunder much of the year], to the lineup, this team had all the options on the court to matchup against other GL teams. We outperformed my initial expectations of this team by a fair margin and I'm proud to say I caught many games on the GL channel.
The nice part of this teams rotation...
2x 3pt specialists - Shackleford and Waters III
3x wing defenders/slashers - Keyonte Johnson/Maldonado/McConnell
1x very good GL C - Sarr
1x offensive guard - Ramsey
1x defensive guard - Flager
1x swiss-army-knife F - Dieng
2x post bruisers/rebounders - Starkey/Williams
And at least 5, maybe stretching it to 6, of these players by my estimation are NBA level talent, maybe not stars, but various levels of role players. That's pretty good in the NBA GL. That's essentially why we won, we were a ~~3rd string NBA team playing against ~4th string NBA competition.
Individual Player Grades for the season [Two-Way or OKC Thunder Players only]
Individual Player Grades for the season [GL Only players]
Winter Showcase Result: 2nd in South Division, 10-6
[2 wins vs the East in the Final Showcase games Cleveland Charge and Wisconsin Herd]
Regular Season Result: Qualified for Playoffs as the 3rd Seed in Western Conference, 21-13
Aggregated Record: 31-19
Playoffs Results:
GL Playoffs R1 vs Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston) - W 126-125 OT [target score/Elam ending]
GL Playoffs Western Semifinals @ Sioux Falls Sky Force (Miami) - W 111-93
GL Playoffs Western Finals @ Stockton Kings (Sacramento) - W 114-107
GL Finals @ Maine Celtics (Boston) - L 86-106 [Maine leads 1-0]
GL Finals vs Maine Celtics (Boston) - W 99-89 [Series Tied 1-1]
GL Finals @ Maine Celtics (Boston) - W 117-100 [OKC Wins 2-1]
The season was a great success with a Championship! There were some bumps along the way, but here's some information that everyone might find useful from my time watching this team.
I thought they were dead in the water in the RS in February. Far behind the leaders, but they played REALLY well to close out the year, probably some of the best clutch performances from an OKC developmental team in my time following the team. I had to write up a review for this history-making season. A+ for fighting to win a championship, and surviving the challenges to make the plays when they counted.
RS stars : Jaden Shackleford, Jahmius Ramsey, & Keyonte Johnson
Playoff stars : Ousmane Dieng, Olivier Sarr, Lindy Waters III, Adam Flager
The key to this season was that we played very well as a guard-initation team, like the big club does, for much of the first half of the year. Our guard play won us games, or lost us games. However the rest of the court was pretty good matchups overall. When we had our 3 solid defenders on the wing helping the team defense, our floor-bound C's were just equal enough to stay average. Once we added LATE in the year, our super-sniper Lindy Waters, and our primary C, Oliver Sarr [who I think was nursing some injuries or with OKC Thunder much of the year], to the lineup, this team had all the options on the court to matchup against other GL teams. We outperformed my initial expectations of this team by a fair margin and I'm proud to say I caught many games on the GL channel.
The nice part of this teams rotation...
2x 3pt specialists - Shackleford and Waters III
3x wing defenders/slashers - Keyonte Johnson/Maldonado/McConnell
1x very good GL C - Sarr
1x offensive guard - Ramsey
1x defensive guard - Flager
1x swiss-army-knife F - Dieng
2x post bruisers/rebounders - Starkey/Williams
And at least 5, maybe stretching it to 6, of these players by my estimation are NBA level talent, maybe not stars, but various levels of role players. That's pretty good in the NBA GL. That's essentially why we won, we were a ~~3rd string NBA team playing against ~4th string NBA competition.
Individual Player Grades for the season [Two-Way or OKC Thunder Players only]
Spoiler:
Individual Player Grades for the season [GL Only players]
Spoiler:
Cheers
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
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Re: OKC Blue - GLeague thread (2023-2024)
Bad news, didn't even know this happened....
https://www.nba.com/thunder/news/release-update-240417
Olivier Sarr ruptured his Achilles tendon. That's really serious, I thought he played the entire game and was fit. I'd need confirmation if he was injured in the game because I was unable to watch it.
https://www.nba.com/thunder/news/release-update-240417
Olivier Sarr ruptured his Achilles tendon. That's really serious, I thought he played the entire game and was fit. I'd need confirmation if he was injured in the game because I was unable to watch it.
Cheers
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