The Oklahoma City Thunder were 2-1 coming into tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder would be without Steven Adams and Chris Paul on the night two of their leaders on the team. With CP3 and Adams out the game tonight in Dallas, the Thunder leaned on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari. Both Shai and Danilo had 16 points each in the evening and were able to use the paint and wide-open shots to their advantage tonight. Shai had some strong moves to the basket that were followed with some finesse layups. The way that Shai plays looks like he’s been in the NBA for more than 2 years. He plays the game with grace and plays with a smoothness that looks so unbothered when he’s attacking. One thing that he’s been able to add to his game more consistent so far is his 3 point shot. On the night he was able to get some good looks and convert. Nerlens Noel had a great night as well with 8 points and 4 blocks. He was a force in the paint and played a great role with Steven Adams out for tonight. Nerlens spoke on his performance and the team after the game in Dallas.
Danilo Gallinari was able to get his offensive game going tonight against the Mavericks after sitting out the game against New Zealand. Gallinari had some impressive And-1 plays tonight against the Mavericks where he was able to slice and dice to the rim. If Gallinari can stay healthy and compete at a high level like the Thunder/NBA know this can be something special for the team. Gallinari brings some length and someone that is a pure shooter to the Thunder. The Thunder have lacked in a knockdown shooter in the past and this could be the season we see that with some extra ball movement and people open. Danilo Gallinari can be that missing piece to the offense that can bring this team pretty far if they can continue to gel on this type of level.
Another player that impressed tonight in Dallas was Hamidou because he was able to get after Luka on the defensive end. If Hamidou can use his defense to turn into offense he could have an amazing 2 year in the NBA. So many people want to see him take that next step and he can definitely do that under the leadership of Billy Donovan. If Hami takes that next step he can be even more special and help the Thunder have a 3&D player that they can believe in on a nightly basis.
This game was all about growth for the Thunder as they got their first taste of Luka and Kristaps on the year. Both of them didn’t play in Tulsa for the first game of the preseason. Luka and Kristaps were able to use the ball movement from the Mavericks to their advantage as they were hitting 3 pointers and getting to the lane. Both of them finished with a combined 36 points on the night and looked really good. The Mavericks have a nice young core and if they can gel this whole team together for the season there will be some battles between them and OKC throughout the year.
The Thunder play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night in OKC and will look to go 3-1 in the preseason.
The LA Chargers come into this game (2-3) on the young season. This will be a true test to see if they can bounce back after their loss against the Denver Broncos last week. One thing that’s been missing in the Chargers offense the past two weeks has been Keenan Allen. Keenan has been on a record pace but the Chargers haven’t been able to get the ball to him in those clutch situations. Keenan Allen is one of the best route runners in the league and needs to make sure he connects with his quarterback Philip Rivers. The Chargers have an amazing running game and that’s helped them in the past but still, it’s all about the Allen-Rivers connection. With Melvin Gordon slowly coming back to his original workload the Chargers have a nice dual-threat with Austin Ekler in the mix as well. The Chargers are trying to get back on track and show people that they still have the offense that made them a dominant force last year. The defense has been struggling as of late for the Chargers and they will need to put pressure on Devlin Hodges their 3rd string QB. The run game for the Steelers has yet to go off yet and showed some glimpses against the Bengals. The Chargers will need to slow down James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster if they want to come out of this game with a win. Overall this could be the game that helps the Chargers get back in the win column.
The Steelers’ defense will have their hands full against the LA Chargers. If the Steelers can contain the two RBs in Gordon/Ekler they will have a good day. Pittsburgh has been playing good defense but it hasn’t translated to wins. With Bush, Watt, and Fitzpatrick in the defense as their playmakers, they will need to get to Phillip Rivers very quick before he gets the ball out. If those playmakers can make a full effort to stop the offensive players like Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon then they could be in the driver’s seat. With Devlin Hodges behind the center, it will be one of those games where the Steelers will have to lean on Conner and Juju both his playmakers. The Steelers will need to get that ground game going as they did against the Bengals. The Steelers used the wildcat as a weapon and we may see that tonight against LA with Jaylen Samuels. The Steelers don’t have the offensive weapons like they did last year but they can make some noise if they get the running game and Juju going ASAP. The Steelers are (1-4) on the season and they need to have an overall performance from offense, defense, and special teams.
The Thunder came out clicking on all cylinders against New Zealand tonight. Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder wanted to dominate early against his countries team. Steven came out and set the tone for the Thunder in this one and established himself in the paint early. If Steven can play like this throughout the season NBA teams will be in trouble. In a day and age where people think the center position isn’t important enough in the All-Star Game Adams makes it look good. Adams has been a monster in the preseason so far for the Thunder and has been able to work on his pick and roll with Chris Paul. The Thunder need to continue using their defense to translate to the offense as they made it tough on the New Zealand team from the opening tip. Steven Adams had 19 points and 10 rebounds on the night and was able to do the majority of his dominant stat line in the first half. The New Zealand Breakers shot 41% percent from the field and the Thunder’s length made it challenging on the night. The one bright spot in the game for the Breakers was the game of Robert Loe who scored 19 points for them. Robert was able to shoot and drive to the basket while gliding in the air through Thunder defenders. Former OKC Thunder training camp player Scotty Hopson also helped with 15 points for the Breakers.
Some of the players that stood out tonight for the Thunder were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, and Darius Bazley. Shai was able to continue his smooth game tonight against the Breakers as he had his shot and slashing to the paint working for him. Shai has shown a lot of leadership and has been leading the Thunder in scoring from the scrimmage to now. The way that his game just flows and translates in this OKC offense has been amazing. Shai has shown that he’s worked on his 3 point shot and also his floater too. Shai finished the game against the New Zealand Breakers with 18 points on the evening in 23 minutes. Hamidou Diallo has shown a lot of improvement this season so far as he’s showing everyone he’s more than just the NBA Dunk Contest Champion. Diallo has shown growth in his jumper and also defensively he’s been getting after all the opponents he’s guarding. Hamidou has been able to use his quickness to his advantage and it’s been on full display this preseason. If Hamidou can make the most of his minutes during the regular season he can be a huge piece to this second unit. Diallo finished the night against the Breakers with 16 points and had all the parts of his game working tonight.
The other player that was really impressive was Darius Bazley because he’s showing that he can hit the 3 pointers and he’s been defending at a high level. Bazley is the wild card for the Thunder because he can do everything from drive to the basket all the way to shooting outside. When Bazley has both the inside and outside game working for him you can see that he gets extremely confident in himself and it shows in his game. Bazley can be what Jerami Grant was to this team in the past and it’s only a matter of time before we get to see what this rookie is all about. Bazley finished with 12 points on the night and the Thunder were able to cruise to a victory against New Zealand with ease.
The Thunder will be playing against the Dallas Mavericks on October 14th in Dallas. Hopefully, this time around the Mavericks will play their starters and we can see the young OKC Thunder core against starter talent. In Tulsa, the Thunder faced the Mavericks but they didn’t play Luka Dončić or Kristaps Porziņģis. This should be a good test for the Thunder and they’re a division rival as well.
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened up their preseason with a 3 pointer from Steven Adams. Yes, Steven Adams and the Thunder worked on that corner 3 pointers in practice. If OKC adds 3 point shooting to Steven Adams already dominate inside game it could be very scary for the NBA. Steven was a beast in the paint and it showed tonight as he scored 17 points. The evolution of his game could be something very special for this season. The Thunder were able to use Steven in the pick and roll with CP3 and Shai to perfection. The chemistry with the point guards and Steven was on full display as Billy Donovan went with the three-guard lineup of Shai, Dennis, and Chris to start the game. This was very effective and it caught the Dallas Mavericks off guard as they sometimes had bigs trying to stop the ball. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 24 points on the night and his points just sneak up on you. One thing about Shai’s game is the fact that he can get to the basket with ease and he’s shown a lot of growth in creating his own shot. The team has the ultimate confidence in Shai and has put the ball in his hands along with Chris Paul. Both of them together are a nice combination that can work to perfection with the way that Steven Adams has shown that he’s willing to play. This team is playing with house money and they won’t have to worry about the pressure of getting an insane amount of wins.
Chris Paul only played 17 minutes tonight but showed a lot of leadership and proved why he’s still one of the most elite guards in the league with his basketball IQ. Paul only had 6 points on the night against the Mavericks but this was a night for some of the young guys to shine like Darius Bazley. Darius had an amazing night in his first-ever NBA game and was playing with the utmost confidence. Bazley had 9 points but made the most of his opportunities and time on the court. The fact that he was confident in his jumper and attacking the rim was very key and shows that he can bring multiple things to the table for this team. Terrence Ferguson is another player that stood out in the minutes that he had tonight with 12 points and he was still slashing and defending at a high level. This Thunder team can be sneaky good and really turn a lot of heads in the NBA if they don’t take them seriously. Yes, the Mavericks were without Luka and Kristaps but they were able to still put up some big numbers. One thing that stood out is that the Thunder were in the bonus early and they were able to limit a lot of the Mavericks 3 point attempts and forced them to drive to the basket.
The Thunder play against the New Zealand Breakers next at home on Thursday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder held their annual Blue & White Scrimmage today in Edmond. The scrimmage is a great way to see the new Thunder team for the first time in front of media and fans. We were able to see Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with their new teammates in action. The game was only 3 quarters but the players showed a lot of promise especially Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Steven Adams, and Chris Paul. So many people around the NBA have already written the Thunder off after trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George this offseason. In a way, I think that this could be the chance for the team to build a true identity and it gives Steven Adams a chance to take that next step in his career. The scrimmage was great because we saw how much growth some of the players from last year have grown with the addition of the new pieces that joined this offseason.
The Scrimmage was stacked with talent led by Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steven Adams, Darius Bazley, Dennis Schröder, Hamidou Diallo and Danilo Gallinari. Steven Adams was a man among boys in the paint during the scrimmage as he finished with 21 rebounds. Steven looked really good and he looks to take that next step as he’s even added more ball-handling into his game. There were a couple of plays where Adams was able to bring the ball down the court and start some fast breaks. Now we don’t expect to see that during the season but it was good to see him being more active looking for teammates. Adams has improved on his passing and has polished up his hook shot jumper. If Adams can continue to grow within his game the Thunder should be dominating in the paint this season because CP3 is the type of point guard that will wait for the center to grab the rebound while moving at his own pace. Adams should be able to average at least 15 ppg and 15 rebs per game this season for Oklahoma City. Adams will be a big part of the Thunder’s success moving forward and it was good to see his dominance in the scrimmage even if it was against his teammates.
Chris Paul looked very good in the scrimmage and you can tell that he’s helping the young core grow on a daily. The Thunder knew that CP3 could come in here and help the other guards like Dennis Schröder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with pointers throughout the season. CP3 and his plant-based diet were on full display as he was running up and down the court dropping dimes to his shooters and his bigs on target with ease. CP3 was trying to get his teammates involved throughout the scrimmage using his court vision to find the open man almost every time down the court. The big thing that I noticed about CP3 yesterday was the fact that he was taking the challenge to Shai on the defensive end. They both were battling for positioning and that only helps them both get better as the season continues. Chris Paul is known for his all-around game and he showed everyone in attendance that he can still play at an elite level like other all-star point guards in the league. Paul finished the scrimmage with 9 points and 2 assists but this was more of a scrimmage to showcase the growth in the other players on the team. It was great seeing Paul talk to Shai, Darius, and Dennis on multiple plays to just help them grow as well. Chris Paul was able to attack the paint when he wanted and found his teammates when they were open. The numbers don’t pop out to you in the scrimmage but he did a lot of the things that we looked for him to do as the leader of this team. CP3 wants to prove to everyone in the NBA he can still put up big numbers in the league and this season will be the best time to express that with his actions for the Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over the Blue & White Scrimmage as he used this moment as a platform to let the media, fans, and his Thunder teammates know he’s the real deal. Everyone was excited to get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the trade for Paul George but no one knew what to expect from the 2nd year guard. Last year Shai averaged 11 ppg in LA but it’s pretty obvious with more opportunity in OKC with the ball in his hands along CP3 that average will go up. Shai was the games leading scorer with 21 points and 6 rebounds. That was my first time watching Shai in person for extended minutes and I was very impressed with what I saw. Shai was able to break down the defense and find his teammates in stride for easy layups and Shai also created his own shot which I didn’t know he had in him. Shai was using his length to his advantage on many drives and with his jumper. One thing I didn’t know that Shai has in his bag of tricks was his floater. The floater was very impressive and you can tell he’s worked on that during the offseason. Shai and CP3 both competed at a high level in the scrimmage and Shai showed everyone that he can score anyway he wants too when given the chance. OKC has something special in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander because if he can play the way that he did in the scrimmage throughout the season it could be epic. The Thunder can use Shai, CP3, and Steven in many ways that can confuse the defenses that they play and this will be a great chance for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to put the league on notice that he can ball at a high level.
The Rookie Darius Bazley showed up and showed out at the scrimmage. The OKC Thunder knew something that the other NBA teams didn’t know and that is the fact that Bazley is special. Bazley was able to showcase his jumper and also showcased his athleticism in many fast breaks. Bazley’s that wild card that the Thunder hope turns into something special for the present and future. Bazley has hops and proved that on a nice alley-oop finish from Dennis Schröder in the scrimmage. If Bazley can continue to grow his game inside and out he can be the perfect fit for the Thunder like Jerami Grant developed into. Bazley’s like a swiss army knife because he can shoot, rebound, defend, and block shots. He’s a rookie so he’s going to have some growing pains but learning under Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel will help him get better in due time. Darius Bazley finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds in the scrimmage but showed that he’s a great listener and can adapt with his game being put in any situation. One thing that stood out about Bazley was the fact he can guard multiple positions from point guards to centers if need be which is very rare in the NBA nowadays. Bazley has a high ceiling and he’s showed a lot of promise so far and this season he can make some big plays on both ends of the floor that will shock a lot of opponents but will be expected from the OKC faithful. There’s a lot of playing time open in that power forward spot behind Gallinari and I love what Darius Bazley can bring to the table this season.
The other players that impressed in the scrimmage were Hamidou Diallo, Dennis Schröder, and Danilo Gallinari. Hamidou showed a lot of quickness on the defensive end and was able to use that defense to create offense. Some of the defensive plays that Hami made at the scrimmage stood out and that shows that he’s been improving this offseason. Hami showed a lot of growth in his offensive game too as he pulled up for some jumpers and was confident in his game. The big thing for Hami this season will be the confidence in his 2nd year in the league. One thing that did shock me in the scrimmage about Hami was that he missed a couple of dunks that the NBA Dunk Contest Champion should have made. I’m sure that he will get that together for when the season approaches. Dennis Schröder’s just sneaky good at everything he does and showed that during the scrimmage. Dennis was able to get his offensive game going and was able to find his teammates in the transition game as well. Scrhöder brings that hard-nosed mentality as he never backs down from a challenge as he was guarding Shai throughout the game. We know what Dennis brings to the table and with more opportunity this season I would love to see what he does with the minutes that he will get from Billy Donovan moving forward. Danilo Gallinari looked comfortable in the game and was able to showcase his ability to get to the rim and knock down jumpers. With Gallinari, we will have to see if he can just stay healthy. I think that he has the potential to be one of the top 3 leading scorers on this team but we just need him to continue to be healthy and knocking down shots. He brings that toughness to the team and he will be able to create his own shot whenever he wants to on this team and he showcased that during the scrimmage as well.
The Thunder will start their preseason off on Tuesday as they face the Dallas Mavericks in Tulsa, OK.
