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Roster - Oklahoma City Thunder

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TC Preview: Wingdings


Rolling Thunder: 23/09/2016



The Thunder have up to 19 players in their final roster mix including free agents and training camp deals, and perhaps the deepest area covered by these is the wing with up to 8 different players capable of lining up there. With so much depth on the wing, there are going to be some tough choices to make in regards to who stays, who goes and who gets on the court.

 

Despite the toughness of the choices, being spoilt for choice, particularly on the wing, is a good thing. With arguably four starting calibre players on the roster in these positions, competition to push your teammates is at a high.

 

Jimmy Butler – Incumbent/Starting SG

Butler has risen to being the Thunder’s Captain, leader and superstar and is the only genuine lock as a starter in the wing rotation. He’s now the equal longest tenured player currently on the roster, with Dennis Schroder, and played the 2nd most games over that time, behind Dennis. Last season he increased his scoring output by 5 points per game, but did so in 4 less minutes a game! He’ll once again be the teams go-to guy and scoring leader and how much he can stay on the court will be the only determining factor as to how successful his season will be as a whole.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – Incumbent*/Starting SF

MKG gets the incumbent label…but it does come with an asterisk as he was slated for that role before being cut down in pre-season. He managed to make a surprise return to the court about halfway through, but then suffered the same injury again to end the rest of his season. Despite him giving up ground on any challengers to his starting spot, his game style and acceptance of his role projects him to at least be given the first nod at the starting spot again. He was strong in the games he did play and given he doesn’t need the ball and can guard nearly anyone, he would still seem to be the best fit in a system GM Nenjabin has tried to implement around injuries these past 18 months. He’s improved his shooting, and he’s still as smart as ever working for the team in any way needed. He is an RFA this offseason, but he’s already verbally committed to returning so we consider that a lock given his RFA status.

Evan Fournier – 6th Man/Starter Challenge

Evan was Mr. Dependable last season playing all 82 games and starting 30 of them due to key injuries, so you could argue he’d be a little unlucky to be coming off the bench behind MKG who played only 12 games last season. He’s on the up still, has size and has the opposite skillset to MKG which is shooting and offensive play. Even if he doesn’t start the year as a starter, he could well move into the line-up to give a different outlook and he figures to play fairly heavy minutes off the bench anyway. Like MKG, he’s an RFA this offseason, but also like MKG he’s verbally committed to returning on a reported monster deal which would make him the 2nd highest paid Thunder player, so you know he’s considered a key cog.

Robert Covington – Reserve Forward/Instant Offence/Trade Bait?

Covington burst onto the scene last season replacing MKG at the start of the season and forcing the Thunder and the league to take notice of his play. So much so, that there was speculation that maybe MKG might find himself on the outer upon return. He cooled a little in the back half of the season, also in a diminished role off the bench instead of starting and getting all the shots he could, but he would still wind up averaging 16 points a game. On one of the league’s most friendly contracts at only $1 million for the next 2 seasons, and in a deep rotation, he might find himself to be prime trade bait given the other talent on the roster including committing long term and big money to the players listed above him here.

Josh Richardson – Reserve Utility/Sophomore Breakout Candidate?

JRich did more as a rookie than anyone would have hoped for showing off his athleticism, speed, shooting touch and ability to play multiple positions and you can only see him growing further in his 2nd season. He might struggle for time right out of the gate, also due to missing up to 8 weeks leading right up to the start of the season, but if he continues on the trajectory he showed as a rookie, he might just play his way into a larger role and even force other players out. He’s arguably the most intriguing wing on the Thunder roster right now.

Bruno Caboclo – Prospect/Trade Bait

Bruno is 2 years in now and he’s still most definitely considered a prospect. The Thunder are high on the kid, which is why they traded for him, but with more NLL ready European players unexpectedly deciding to make the jump to the NLL this summer, the likelihood is that the now playoff hungry Thunder can’t afford to sit and wait for the potential to come through. They were more than happy to wait on him, but roster spots come at a premium and despite the steps forward, he’s likely to see himself on another roster before the free agent moratorium is lifted.

Damien Inglis – Prospect/Likely cut

Inglis was a favourite of Nenjabin’s out of his draft class but a foot injury before stepping onto the court forcing him to miss his entire rookie season, followed by further foot inuries in his 2nd season have seen his prospect status diminish and his time at the OKC likely coming to an end. There’s a chance they retain his rights, but he’ll likely be left out to make room for the fresh faces.

Patrick McCaw – Rookie/Prospect

The Thunder were planning on drafting a stash player with the pick that landed McCaw, but when he was on the board still they couldn’t pass him up. As such, he’ll leapfrog at least the last 2 listed guys for a roster spot and begin his quest to fight for a rotational role, even as a rookie. He’s long, smart, can handle the ball and play and defend three positions which makes him a Nenjabin’s pet type player. He’s not expected to make much noise as a rookie, particularly in this deep field but an injury or 2 could make things interesting.

Alex Abrines – Rookie/Prospect

Abrines surprised everyone, particularly Nenjabin when he decided he wanted to come and join the NLL. He was drafted in Nenjabin’s first NLL draft with the expectation of being a stash player with a good upside, but he signed a new 5 year deal with Barcelona last summer and looked like he’d become one of those players that stays in Europe forever. Fast forward 12 months and he’s coming stateside. He brings size and smarts having played against men for years now, and he’ll look to use his potentially elite shooting touch to force his way up the depth chart.

 

So there we have it, 9 guys to cover the wings! In reality, 7 of those will be on the roster come the start of the season and we’d expect the Thunder to give the rookies McCaw and Abrines a look in above the other prospects of Caboclo and Inglis, unless a trade offer comes in that completely turns the tables. Caboclo has a number of suitors already and reportedly the asking price would only start at a future 2nd rounder. Butler and MKG would be the expected day one starters for the defensive terror they install in the opposition, but you’d expect Fournier, Covington and Josh Richardson all to make strong cases for increased court time, and the possibility of one of them being on the block. If Abrines and/or McCaw can establish themselves as reliable options as rookies, the aforementioned trade possibility could be accelerated even further. Bottom line is, there’s a lot of talent to squeeze into only 96 minutes. Who needs a wing?

 

- OKC News

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