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.
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