2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18

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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#41 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:10 am

Old Man Game wrote:
Mickey8 wrote:He's clearly taller than both of them, I don't know what were you looking at, maybe beacuse he's so thin you have an impression that he's smaller , he's legit 7 footer .


You're telling me when he lined up to rebound while Aldridge was shooting free throws a few feet away he looked taller than him to you?

He looks to me like he has the posture of someone who sits at a computer all day. He kind of leans forward most of the time.
bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#42 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:11 am

spearsy23 wrote:One preseason game is probably too early for me to take my maledon victory lap, right?

If a guy just made some shots, then I would say yeah. The way he was moving and running the offense makes it seems like there is good reason to be cautiously excited.
bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#43 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:21 am

One thing that kind of got lost in this is that shai looked pretty good running the offense after the first few minutes. He had some nice passes off of his drives. Four assists and one turnover.

The overall ball movement of the team was solid considering the small time at training camp.
bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#44 » by jake_swivel » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:28 am

ThunderBolt wrote:One thing that kind of got lost in this is that shai looked pretty good running the offense after the first few minutes. He had some nice passes off of his drives. Four assists and one turnover.

The overall ball movement of the team was solid considering the small time at training camp.


What does a backcourt of two smooth, seemingly not ball-dominating, decent but not great shooting, combo guards look like? Guess we'll see, but are there any NBA comps?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#45 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:33 am

jake_swivel wrote:
ThunderBolt wrote:One thing that kind of got lost in this is that shai looked pretty good running the offense after the first few minutes. He had some nice passes off of his drives. Four assists and one turnover.

The overall ball movement of the team was solid considering the small time at training camp.


What does a backcourt of two smooth, seemingly not ball-dominating, decent but not great shooting combo guards look like? Guess we'll see, but are there any NBA comps?

My guess would he multiple time world champions.

In all seriousness, i suck at comps. However if you think about this team, (which is nowhere near a finished rebuild) we are much more “smooth” than freakishly athletic. Bazley, Poku and even vets like Horford and Hill rely on skills more than Diallo-like athleticism. If we drafted a guy like Cade or Mobley, we could have a really fun style to watch.
bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#46 » by a-French-Fan » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:47 am

ThunderBolt wrote:
a-French-Fan wrote:Absolutely not surprised by Maledon even if I didn't expect 20 pts for his first game.
His game is clean, because each time he had a TO he was benched with Mitrovic (during this time Jaka Lakovic allowed K. Hayes as many TOs as possible). If you are surprised of his maturity, remind that he had a true role as a PG in Euroleague (not Eurocup), although he was benched each time he made a mistake.

I didn't expect him to be nervous like Hayes for his first preseason game because he is really a cold blood man. He doesn't often show his emotions, don't worry about this.
I was afraid that he wouldn't be enough agressive, because he is a smooth guy and unselfish. I was wrong. And if he keep agressive, he will get foul calls, and with his FT% he will have a lot of opportunities.

Of course like the coach said, it was only first game and he will have bad games, but I was not surprised this morning to see what he did this night.

How do you think he compares to Hayes?


I don't like to compare them. They won a U16 euro together, dominated Espoirs pro A championships and Hayes was the MVP,went to final for world u17 and then when they became professionnal they took two very different paths. Hayes played where he grew up, where his father played, in Cholet. But things went wrong and then went to Germany to play Eurocup where his coach let him do a lot of mistakes. So that made good stats and a lot of highlights.
Maledon had a very good first pro year unlike Hayes, with very good games in Eurocup. He was Mantas Kalnietis back up at 17. A true reference for Eurocup, and Lithuania's PG. Coach Mitrovic didn't let him do any mistake. Although all of this his first pro season was great and Vincent Collet called him with national team and was cut before 2019 WC. Then he was early injuried, and coach Mitrovic loved to keep him on the bench when he came back. Few last games before the first lockdown he got better, but too late he was already falling in mock drafts.
To sum up:
2017-2018: Hayes > Maledon. But Maledon was discovering a new environment at 16
2018-2019: Maledon>Hayes
2019-2020: Hayes seemed better than Maledon, but there is a huge gap between Eurocup and Euroleague, and Maledon' season was biased.
Frank Ntilikina is a play-off player, but he goes to the Hornets.

Paris 2024 (Starters):
Ntilikina - Malédon - Hayes
Coulibaly - De Colo
TLC - Rupert or Risacher
Wembanyama- Yabusele
Embiid- Poirier - Lessort [without Embiid: Fall]
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#47 » by Mickey8 » Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:02 pm

Old Man Game wrote:
Mickey8 wrote:He's clearly taller than both of them, I don't know what were you looking at, maybe beacuse he's so thin you have an impression that he's smaller , he's legit 7 footer .


You're telling me when he lined up to rebound while Aldridge was shooting free throws a few feet away he looked taller than him to you?

He looked taller than Poeltl too , who is seven foot tall.
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#48 » by getrichordie » Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:08 pm

ThunderBolt wrote:
Old Man Game wrote:
Mickey8 wrote:He's clearly taller than both of them, I don't know what were you looking at, maybe beacuse he's so thin you have an impression that he's smaller , he's legit 7 footer .


You're telling me when he lined up to rebound while Aldridge was shooting free throws a few feet away he looked taller than him to you?

He looks to me like he has the posture of someone who sits at a computer all day. He kind of leans forward most of the time.


Daniel Hamilton and Dzanan Musa have entered the chat. In all seriousness, it's probably a little kyphosis going on if I had to guess.

Image

A couple of takeaways/overreactions from our 1st preseason game:

— it's 1 preseason game so take this with a grain of salt
— sga looks stronger; shedded derozan on a dribble drive to the point where derozan got thrown from the ft line to the stanchion...
— diallo looked like he actually knew how to run a pick and roll and his handle looks much better
— frank jackson is gonna be really bad on defense
— not surprised to see Maledon struggle on D and end up with 4 fouls in 29 minutes
— watching Pokusevski playing in a Thunder uniform is unreal; needs to add weight but my magic 8-ball is saying, 'Yes!' - his release is so quick. it's Morrow-esque...
— isaiah roby! dude has game. if he can stay healthy, we stole him. love his all-around game.
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#49 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:29 pm

I wasn't that impressed with Roby. He played a little better after he turned it over like three times in a row. I still think Diallo's ceiling is Derrick Jones Jr which probably doesn't have a place here long term. I do think Shai looked a little stronger.
bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#50 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:33 pm

Spoiler:
getrichordie wrote:
ThunderBolt wrote:
Old Man Game wrote:
You're telling me when he lined up to rebound while Aldridge was shooting free throws a few feet away he looked taller than him to you?

He looks to me like he has the posture of someone who sits at a computer all day. He kind of leans forward most of the time.


Daniel Hamilton and Dzanan Musa have entered the chat. In all seriousness, it's probably a little kyphosis going on if I had to guess.

Image

A couple of takeaways/overreactions from our 1st preseason game:

— it's 1 preseason game so take this with a grain of salt
— sga looks stronger; shedded derozan on a dribble drive to the point where derozan got thrown from the ft line to the stanchion...
— diallo looked like he actually knew how to run a pick and roll and his handle looks much better
— frank jackson is gonna be really bad on defense
— not surprised to see Maledon struggle on D and end up with 4 fouls in 29 minutes
— watching Pokusevski playing in a Thunder uniform is unreal; needs to add weight but my magic 8-ball is saying, 'Yes!' - his release is so quick. it's Morrow-esque...
— isaiah roby! dude has game. if he can stay healthy, we stole him. love his all-around game.


Poku's release is fast but kind of low. He's tall enough that I don't think it will ever be an issue.
bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#51 » by getrichordie » Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:36 pm

ThunderBolt wrote:I wasn't that impressed with Roby. He played a little better after he turned it over like three times in a row. I still think Diallo's ceiling is Derrick Jones Jr which probably doesn't have a place here long term. I do think Shai looked a little stronger.


In regards to Roby, keep in mind that he's only played like 10 minutes in the NBA and hasn't played a real basketball game in quite some time. It's going to take time for him to settle in and shake off some rust. He will have his ups and downs, but he's a talent, IMO. Was talking with a Mavericks fan last night and he was kind of baffled by the Roby trade given that the Mavericks traded up to get him last year. We both kind of think he was traded because of the foot issue.
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#52 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:43 pm

getrichordie wrote:
ThunderBolt wrote:I wasn't that impressed with Roby. He played a little better after he turned it over like three times in a row. I still think Diallo's ceiling is Derrick Jones Jr which probably doesn't have a place here long term. I do think Shai looked a little stronger.


In regards to Roby, keep in mind that he's only played like 10 minutes in the NBA and hasn't played a real basketball game in quite some time. It's going to take time for him to settle in and shake off some rust. He will have his ups and downs, but he's a talent, IMO. Was talking with a Mavericks fan last night and he was kind of baffled by the Roby trade given that the Mavericks traded up to get him last year. We both kind of think he was traded because of the foot issue.

Sure. I think most of the guys on this roster are limited in minutes. I don't really have strong feelings yet either way about any single player. I just think he looked kind of meh. The beauty of this season is it doesn't hurt to give every one of these guys a chance.

On a side note, hearing cage call him "Pokachu" was worth a laugh.

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bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#53 » by Dadouv47 » Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:33 pm

Don't want to overreact after one game and I have no clue what his ceiling is but Maledon doesn't have many flaws so I'm really excited to see his development
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#54 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:39 pm

Dadouv47 wrote:Don't want to overreact after one game and I have no clue what his ceiling is but Maledon doesn't have many flaws so I'm really excited to see his development

Probably is his defense but he's got time to improve.
bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#55 » by a-French-Fan » Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:53 pm

ThunderBolt wrote:On a side note, hearing cage call him "Pokachu" was worth a laugh.


I need a poll now: Poku or Pokachu?
Frank Ntilikina is a play-off player, but he goes to the Hornets.

Paris 2024 (Starters):
Ntilikina - Malédon - Hayes
Coulibaly - De Colo
TLC - Rupert or Risacher
Wembanyama- Yabusele
Embiid- Poirier - Lessort [without Embiid: Fall]
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#56 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:56 pm

a-French-Fan wrote:
ThunderBolt wrote:On a side note, hearing cage call him "Pokachu" was worth a laugh.


I need a poll now: Poku or Pokachu?

I may add a third choice, nominated by former mod Bondom34.

Spoiler:
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bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#57 » by jake_swivel » Sun Dec 13, 2020 2:05 pm

ThunderBolt wrote:I may add a third choice, nominated by former mod Bondom34.

Spoiler:
Read on Twitter


Heh. That’s good. Saw one tweet where they said watching him was like watching J.R. Smith in a 7’3 200 lb body.
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#58 » by spearsy23 » Sun Dec 13, 2020 2:12 pm

jake_swivel wrote:
ThunderBolt wrote:One thing that kind of got lost in this is that shai looked pretty good running the offense after the first few minutes. He had some nice passes off of his drives. Four assists and one turnover.

The overall ball movement of the team was solid considering the small time at training camp.


What does a backcourt of two smooth, seemingly not ball-dominating, decent but not great shooting, combo guards look like? Guess we'll see, but are there any NBA comps?

Parker/Ginobili?
Neither of them have Manu's flair or parker's quickness, but shai gets into the lane similarly.
“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: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#59 » by ThunderBolt » Sun Dec 13, 2020 2:13 pm

jake_swivel wrote:
ThunderBolt wrote:I may add a third choice, nominated by former mod Bondom34.

Spoiler:
Read on Twitter


Heh. That’s good. Saw one tweet where they said watching him was like watching J.R. Smith in a 7’3 200 lb body.

Ya that was Hollinger. He's not been a fan of the Poku fit but really loves Theo.
Read on Twitter

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bisme37 wrote:If there were magnets in basketballs so strong they changed the path of the ball as it flew through the air, wouldn't the ball then stick magnetically to the rim when it got there?
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Re: 2020-21 Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Game Thread | December 12 - December 18 

Post#60 » by jake_swivel » Sun Dec 13, 2020 2:33 pm

Heh, 43 pounds. Well done, Holinger. Well done.
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