OKC Thunder 2024 Offseason Plan with Joel Lorenzi

OKC Thunder 2024 Offseason Plan with Joel Lorenzi

on today’s lockdown Thunder podcast the Oklahoma City Thunder season is over the offseason is right around the corner how can the Thunder improve this roster you are locked on Thunder your daily Oklahoma City Thunder podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day let’s get it going on the lockdown Thunder podcast on the lockdown podcast Network your team every day I am your host media member and Si thunderbeat Rider Ryland Styles follow me on Twitter rinor Styles follow the show on Twitter L thunderpod on today’s show we’re diving into the Oklahoma City Thunder and their season where did they obviously vastly improve over last year how can they keep getting better internally and then what can this off season look like all on today’s show brought to you by good friends over at FanDuel check them out today today uh make every moment more right now new customers get 150 bucks in bonus Bets with the winning of any $5 bet that’s 150 bucks with the winning only5 bet by visiting f.com lockon to get started on today’s show we’re joined by Joel Lorenzi at JX leny of the Oklahoma the Oklahoman beat writer Joel how you doing today to start off the offseason you’re you’re muted you’re cooked what a what a RI I was trying to let you talk R what’s what’s good though it’s been a minute I I haven’t seen Rona since man I I don’t know what what oh I guess presty was the last time I saw you so it it’s been a while I’m just I’m kicking it at home right now so that’s that’s the the reason for my Hiatus on on Twitter and whatnot back in Chicago the windy city although I’ve had a long standing beef with Chicago that Oklahoma is actually you know the Windy City Oklahoma City please lot lot of wind I mean it is windy for it is very windy in OKC I just had never heard of it being called the Windy City until I got there and then I understood it but I was like no it ain’t it ain’t Chicago though but it is I mean yeah it is a lot of that I mean y’all get tornadoes so Twisters everything yeah Joel you you’re wearing the same New York t-shirt that I last saw you and which I assume uh probably haven’t changed it since just you’re just why you always frying my clothes dog because you know I just can’t I was I was at the gym today all right I just came from the gym all right so why why are we doing it why why don’t you do outfit of the day stand up no no we’re not we’re not doing the outf of but uh you know I’m not held to the same standard as as someone why not as someone as you know Suave as you you know I think that that’s like a you’re like a fashion icon and you know you’re wearing red misso hoodies and say who we we cover Shay and Jay du you calling me a fashion icon I mean I think if you ask those two guys who among the beat would would uh you know you most want to switch wardrobes with it’d be it’d be Adam you Daniel so don’t include Daniel in there that’s the standard that you’re held to but uh Joel reviewing this thunder season you’re first on the beat your first time like intimately following the Oklahoma City Thunder what stood out to you as the biggest surprise like you you got here maybe thinking a certain way and then something just you know caught your eye yeah I mean it’s a it’s it’s an easy answer but just how far along they are um I mean I think when me and Joe started partying like to beginning year um Joe I don’t remember where Joe placed him he maybe had them like seventh or eighth um in the conference I I I maybe had them like fifth or sixth like I I was a little higher and that at the time felt like you know a little crazy and so just to see how far along they are um I imagine we’ll get into this later but like I I I don’t think they need to make any seismic moves and so like just not only how far along they are but you know How firm the foundation is like I I think the identity they built this past year is something they can run with I don’t think they need any any Supreme changes and so just just seeing the state they’re in now and what they had to build on I I wouldn’t have guessed that they would be here when I what I got on the beat yeah it’s been obviously a season that nobody thought that they’d win 57 games and be the youngest number one seed of all time uh the goal I think was hey it’d be a it’d be a massive Improvement to just uh go from sub 500 in this tough Western Conference adding chat Homen to the mix you know there were still questions about that uh it’d be a massive Improvement to just be in the top six and and not have to play the play and it it’d be it’d be everything breaking your way to to to have home court for one Playoff round then they end up uh you know being the number one overall seed in the west I think that that like it cannot get lost how long these seasons are of when you first arrived in OKC like the questions after the first you know games and and before the season began was was could Chad play back to backs could chat play the five and he answered both those questions by playing all 82 games at the at the center possession yeah I do remember um those first few weeks I think we were just finding different ways to ask like like how do you like especially with Mark how do you feel Chad’s holding up Chad how how do you feel because I mean and and it feel I mean good bigs are scattered across this league but it felt like especially that the front end of the season was like front low like specific matchups that you would want to see him hold up bit I mean the first the first home stand was like joic and uh why is the the Detroit’s big not coming to mind I I can’t think of his name right now um J J dur yeah um and that was like I me I mean that’s how Chad started his career was like Val you know vich with the bulls you had Moy and Allen in there with the with the Cavs joic you had Duran you had Zion you had Draymond you just you had a capella then you had back to Allen Mo then you had back to Draymond then you had then you had uh uh you know the the run of the Suns then wimy then Draymond again like you were just thrown all these bigs and it felt like every single game before the game the conversation was okay this is the night that he gets tested like this is the new challenge this is the I mean sabonis like this is the new uh you know this is the time that we can finally kind of absorve who he is and and what he’s going to be about and it was fast and furious in the first month like we’re mentioned like he played all those guys plus embiid uh you know and plus Rudy and Cat uh and plus Anthony Davis so he was tested early and he really held up yeah no doubt and I thought like like to be fair I think like sabonis is one of the guys who maybe gave him more trouble I think that’s more like like handling dho to that degree was probably one of the ear earlier um obstacles but like like you said to play 82 um I thought he really started that game against mbid like I I think we were I mean this was the conversation like you said after every game like people would would be in in what’s that at uh I forget the app people it’s actually a pretty nasty uh interface of an app what’s what’s the app people screenshot it’s a they use it forx sports or something like real Sports it’s so nasty but U they they were coming with the real Sports screen shot like like oh CAD can’t play y CAD can’t play MB and they would come with the real Sports screenshot so so CAD was ready for sure I I I obviously there are part you can improve um I think offensively whether that was the you know the wear and tear of the Season or like teams just you know finally getting a scout on him I think you started to see production slip but overall like he held up um and especially like defensively like he had one of the better rookie Seasons defensively in recent memory probably so yeah I mean you you look at chat that was a massive uh you know portion of the Season we talked about you know how far they were as a collective unit but even another surprise I think was jdub taking another step that fast that quickly and and a step that there were certain benchmarks in this season where we were comfortable like dubbing him a future star and potential superstar in this league like that’s how dominant he was especially in the fourth quarter uh hitting tough shots and being that second go-to score for OKC uh he obviously still has you know a lane to grow but you know whenever you came in like obviously last year you were you were busy covering Craton and like you had your own perceptions of of what these players were coming in like what did you see from jdub in year two yeah um it’s just like you said that star Le um I don’t know if I was so eager to call him like a uh a Allstar by next year as like some people were within like the first first two months um but I think you can see the vision I mean the West is tough so I think it’s going to be tough for him to make an All-Star game maybe generally throughout his career um but he’ll he’ll get some he’ll get some of those nods um he’s just that good um as far as like at least before the playoffs it felt like in terms of as a player like when you look at like attributes like like the skill set it felt like there were so few holes in his game I mean just in terms of you know the impact two-way player you know if you need a secondary Creator like he’s doing really good stuff on the ball he’s he’s leading the second quarters and the fourth quarters like he felt so complete shot over 40% from three um he’s finishing through contact UM obviously there are things to be done there too um that were exposed in the playoffs and in the whole regular season like he he admiss this that he just couldn’t get to the line whether that’s you know stuff he’s doing or just the way they’re officiating him but uh the signs are there though for him to be a star and last year I I mean obviously like progression and predicting you know people’s progression like it’s never linear and it’s so tough to predict I mean a guy could pop off in like year five like Andre Jackson could be a Allstar in year five or something crazy I I don’t know I can’t name a specific case it’s that crazy but that’s just that’s how this thing worked right and so I don’t know that I thought he was gonna be a star especially the soon I mean watching from afar last year I thought he could be a good starter long term but but he’s he’s made that lead for sure yeah and I think that whenever jayob for the majority of this season like we can talk about the Dallas series where he did not show up and he he was not good in that series but that’s that’s going to be the case for seconde players they’re going to have moments like that but when JB was at his best this season the way you would describe him with the tough shot making with the versatility to play off of Shay on on offense then defensively uh the what he gives you as a positional Defender and and those versatilities that he brings on that end of the floor like when you describe what he can do you’re describing skill sets that that Allstars and and above level players have so I think that that’s the the most encouraging but you know this team won 57 games and they lost in six in the second round to the Dallas Mavericks with a zero point differential so there’s not many of these like was there anything that uh maybe disappointing is too strong of a word clearly for for what the season was but something that you know you you felt left wanting more after the year uh um warning more I we’re talking about the playoffs and all that just just the the entirety of the season if it can be from the playoffs it can be just from a individual player uh like again there’s no such thing as disappointment with this with this team they were too good uh but what is one area where you were like ah they could have done a little bit better there it’s hard to say I think uh because I think like the season played out probably How It Should Have and probably how how they wanted to I mean obviously you don’t want to lose in the second round but I thought I thought it went about as well as they probably could have predicted and so I don’t know that I would have had it go another way but I do think like there’s there’s stuff that uh you know certain areas of development that maybe you got to just leave to the summer but like maybe you can also work on them in season but it’s it’s hard to say that like you could say that in hindsight but then maybe they don’t have a 57 win season but I thought like generally like things arise to the surface are like um using Chad in the short row like I thought that was something that could have happened more in the regular season and especially would have helped him in the playoffs um I thought that was a window that you know when they use him there when he had especially against like the switching defense the The oneman Zone with dck Lively like that that was that was money like he would kick to the corner he would make a read for the backside like he’s I mean he’s a he’s a smart player and he’ll only get better there so that was something I thought um probably would have benefited him to go more to um in the regular season even though like I said in hindsight it’s it’s hard to say that because he is such a pick and pop option you know they’re throwing them lobs in the regular season which aren’t there in the playoffs which is something they probably couldn’t predict so yeah that that you know getting chat more involved was the only thing I thought that they could have done uh a little bit more consistently throughout the season which we’re going to talk about a lot coming up as we talk about how this team can improve both internally and also now that we’ve set the table what does this offseason look like for Oklahoma City but first want to say right now better good friends over at FanDuel check out FanDuel because right now new customers got 150 bucks in bonus Bets with the winning of a $5 bet that’s 150 bucks uh with the spreads money line uh player props and more check it out today at f.com lockon that’s f.com lockon make every playoff shot every NBA final shot every Stanley Cup Slap Shot count more with America’s number one sports book speaking of NBA Finals we almost the game one we we can smell game one at this point with the Mavericks being six and a half Point underdogs in the TD Garden on Thursday Joelle are you are you riding with the Mavericks in game one after Jason kid finally got a game one win are you still gonna go with the Celtics Celtics for sure Celtics and six I think which is I mean not hot so I’ve got Mavericks in six let’s see who’s right at f.com lockdown we’re back on the lockdown ther podcast on the lockdown podcast Network your teams every day joining me today is the Oklahoma beat riter Joel Lorenzi Joelle we discussed this season like like we’ve set the table for what this season was it was a fantastic season you know never in question there having had this year where you know you were playing with house money really like like no matter what happened nothing disastrous could have happened this year here uh heading in now you you look at this team with a more critical eye a more uh expectations driven everything ratchets up for this organization from this summer all the way through the end of whatever this core is whenever that time comes this from now on is hey you’re good enough you’re contenders like you need to be uh you know you know winning basketball games and that’s the pressure they’re going to have on themselves internally the pressure that we’ll put on them externally uh with that being said had into this specific off season like what are some of the needs and like what would be your aggression level this off season yeah you know I battle back and forth with this because I think a lot of people have you know interesting perspectives I’m not on the side of the fence to where I think they need like a gamechanging big man I I’m I’m CH at the five I’m in that camp um I just don’t know how you watch the rookie year he had defensively the the second round series he had defensively and want to move that dude to the four and like with his deficiency too um I think him at the four I think people are like I don’t know the theoretical five they’re putting next to him is like Jesus Christ and so um chck with his current fluidity and his handle attacking clothes outs like obviously there are bright spots but it’s not there to be you know mocking him to the four I think and like his jumper will have to get quicker for sure that’s something I think we saw in in the Dallas series so I think CAD at the is how you maximize this thing U and then like generally I’m on the side where I think their identity like like Dallas outplayed them right but but they were easily like shooting uh one game of shooting variance away from from changing that series probably and so um I think the way they get shots is more than fine more than adequate like I I I see their identity like I think they should keep this identity uh long term I don’t about a lob threat which is something people are you know clamoring for only because um the idea of vertical spacing with this team is probably better in theory than it actually is I think that the the actual like outside you know spacing just works better for this team um again a lot of that center around cat um I I think I mean it’s probably a a moot point because there’s no shot they they have a chance with him um which is out of their control um I I thought OG just that that fit of player U was perfect for them and I don’t know who I don’t know if I can even think of a OG comp if there’s a OG type in the draft uh if somebody like that is available next summer uh but like just like a big a big three four type more like a big Wing um that can guard four or five or multiple positions um that can still face the floor that that isn’t you know that isn’t like I know people want to patch up the rebounding thing but but with that like you don’t just patch a rebound and like you add you know other problems potentially so that that’s kind of the side of the fence I’m on yeah I think that with this St team number one absolutely right like this identity was good enough and this identity is going to continue to be good enough so uh chat is for sure a five like I’m not in the camp at all of going and and moving chat like he should be the starting five from now to the end of his his tenure in Oklahoma City uh can you can you bolster your front Court depth where your where your only other big option is not Jay will sure like that I’m not anti that but I am anti like these sweeping changes to move chat to the four uh because I think that we’ve seen that that does honestly more harm than good in in practice with how good this team is and as you mentioned like for as as panicked as people are about like rebounding and and uh you know the the the style of play everything worked against Dallas except for the fact that PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr were fantastic and on a team that has you know Kyrie and Luca like if they’re the ones that are being fantastic then you’re G to lose and I’m sorry about it the West is too good the West is too tough so if you’re heading into every playoff series that you play in this Western Conference and you feel good about your ability to limit the stars in a star driven League you’re going to win more often than not now you’re also going to get burned by Derek you know Jones Jr and by PJ Washington but the difference in those guys not shooting the piss out of the ball and the Thunder winning that series was not so so you know deviate from the path that they were on as to move check to the four or to make any wholesale changes because the the the true the true outcome to change that series is like you mentioned you replay that series 10 more times right and that was the one time that they got both of the recipes for their Shooters uh to go off that way you saw that despite you know Derrik Jones Jr and PJ having having good series against Minnesota they did not shoot the ball that way Minnesota did not defend the way the Thunder could defend so like if the Thunder would have gotten that shooting output from Washington and from Jones Jr uh that that Minnesota got the Thunder would have won that series like that’s that’s as finical and finicky as this stuff is so what you’ve built here and cultivated here as a as a group that has a chance against against the pre Premier talents in the west and as as as strange as it might sound like that’s the best you can hope for because the West is so tough and the West is going to be just a bloodbath of uh breaks like who who gets to play the worst of the best options who gets to stay the most healthy the health aspect the Thunder are are probably never going to see as much you know health benefit as they got this season as far as this offseason in terms of being aggressive I don’t know what more you could want the Thunder to like they didn’t do this stuff for no reason they didn’t clear up four roster spots for no reason they didn’t get top five in the league cap space for no reason they don’t have this these mountain of assets for no reason they’ve done their part but as you mentioned yes OG is a perfect fit but you said the key word outside of their control they can’t just force OG andby to come play basketball in Oklahoma City so in terms of like the aggression level of what the Thunder should do I think that they’ve done their part they’ve got to see something materialized now now you’ve got to get a starve put on the trade market now you’ve got to get a free agent willing to sign in Oklahoma City but they’ve made the preparations for rain the rain’s got to come though yeah I I will say um like I said I don’t think they should make any seismic moves and unless well no I don’t think they should make any sismic moves I will say I don’t think there’s any room to be like Frugal or anything I mean they have a ton of assets I do think uh I do think there’s more of a window than they’ll let on um and next year’s per purpose is not last year’s purpose in terms of what you want to get out of the season and so like to know to go into next season knowing you’re a contender to know that maybe you were a fifth starter away um that you know you could have put Josh giddy in a different role if they are so you know um if if they’re so insistent on on him being part of this court um like if I mean and I don’t even know that they necessarily need a A og type of Defender I mean that team defended so well um maybe like some type of cross match between you know a athlete like drick Jones like another another athlete that doesn’t cramp your spacing because obviously we know part of you know the way teams defended Josh which you know was was part of their slow starts which you know contributed to you know the you know the very few um you know offensive sets where they were maybe stumped or or you know in dead zones um I think somebody who wouldn’t like we we know obviously that was part in part because teams are so fearful of Chad you know what what he does as a five again which is something that would you would take away if he wasn’t a five but uh I don’t know it has to be somebody like it just has to be somebody that that with Chad like you know will will kill you still maybe a 36% shooter 37% shooter from deep but like a athlete like a real real athlete maybe they don’t have to be Dar Jones Jr that that dude’s in on another planet uh because again like the thing with the lob threats for me is that um you’re expecting this team to make a leap there in terms of throwing lobs like they’re not the best lob throwing team um dub and chat was like the strongest connection and it only came I mean like granted it was timely but it it it wasn’t prominent like it wasn’t happening all the time and so that’s just another thing with this team but I think an athlete that can kill Closeouts you know that can shoot well enough to where you’re not defending him like gidy he’s not getting played you know out of the rotation um would suffice I don’t know that that has to be you know a perfect OG mirror maybe it doesn’t have to be OG but I I I do think there are moves to be made at the margins um and I lean big wing and I know people would be pissed if that’s not the summer because of you know the way this team is positioned but maybe this isn’t the pool I don’t know yeah I mean it it’s it’s got of materialized Now by that same token like if there are players on the table and the Thunder have all these preparations made and they still um you know aren’t comfortable going and making that move then then there’s a totally different conversation that you and I are going to be willing to have on this show but as of this very moment they’ve done everything that they can do right now on on June 4th uh to be an aggressive team and to be a team um you know that that is in position to maximize this this season and maximize this roster uh and I think that the benefit that the Thunder have is the ability to Pivot and not a lot of teams have that like like this was the last chance that Dallas had it pivoting they they Nico Harrison mastered it like he he went out last off season was aggressive trading for lively uh getting ran Holmes that he eventually parlayed into uh the gatford deal uh being able to go sign Grant Williams thinking wholeheartedly that would work being willing to give up a pick to get Grant Williams and then half a season later cutting bait with Grant Williams to bring in PJ Washington who’s been who’s been impeccable for the core like what Dallas has done does show you that you can do both like you can be aggressive still make your observation at the beginning of this season then make your pivot at the deadline and and the reason the Thunder are even more you know suited for that is the access draft picks and and the additional uh get out of jail free card so to say that they have stored up versus other contending teams yeah and you know it is inter thing I I will say this like again fans will be pissed the the the thing is based on what Sam was saying that day it sounds to me and maybe you know he was keeping this close to the vest wasn’t being completely genuine it sounds like Josh giddy is still part of the long-term plans now what role that’s in I guess we won’t know until next year because like Sam says this that the team you see now won’t be the team you see come octob um so maybe he is in a bench roll maybe they try to to to Really commit to that um I don’t know what that’ll look like but I think for sure you have to know that you got to move on from from him being the the fifth starter I think um just upgrading there generally to what I’ve been talking about just that kind of big forward that that’s a that’s a need I think and then just um what I will say like with the with the deadline thing like I I I obviously that changed Dallas’s trajectory but I’m not sure I don’t know that I’m as sure of you know what prey thinks about the deadline at like I maybe thought I had an idea before he talked that day and now it seems like I don’t know he he made it seem like he was reluctant to to deal with the deadline at least for even though he didn’t he obviously didn’t regret the Gordon Hayward deal because it’s multi-dimensional you clear cat space there was there was layers to that but him trying to go after a player he thought he could work in with that amount of time that he thought could be in the playoff ration he didn’t seem too confident on that he said he missed and so I I don’t know maybe maybe maybe we’re looking at that room maybe maybe you know we’re looking at things to to black and white um but but I don’t know if it feels like I don’t know if if it feels like the the changes that need to happen maybe need to happen in the summer unless there’s like some Revelation there mid-season but again maybe maybe Gordon was Sam’s midseason Revelation I mean I don’t know that he was pressed for Gordon to to be some some Star level role player because it seemed he was convinced with this this this season the purpose of the Season being development but that’s obviously not the case next season right yeah that’s that’s going to be totally different next year like you’re not going to have that um to to kind of fall back on but coming up what ARS internal developments that the Thunder can make this summer to continue to grow as a team but first want here right now but your friends over at better help better help can really help everyone including Joel Lorenzi because they’re awesome and and sometimes we all need somebody to talk to uh and and get things off our chest you don’t want to let them uh fester and and carry it with you all day all week all month all year or even the rest of your life so you want to be able to get them off your chest uh by talking to someone and it’s especially beneficial at times to talk to somebody uh you external someone that’s not a part of your life someone unbiased who is going to uh come into these things with an open mind to help you maybe see some things more clearly that’s why you should give better hope a try I think that uh you know we’re both very busy a lot of people listening are very busy listening to the show on the go and you could be thinking to yourself like I I could benefit from therapy but I just don’t have the time I do not have the ability to put my life on pause for an hour and go to an actual therapist office that’s the key of better better help is entirely online and entirely suited around your schedule so uh it is convenient it’s flexible and it’s suited for you you can carve out the time to hop online with a licensed therapist what you do is you take this questionnaire they match you with the therapist and uh hopefully that initial match will be perfect if not you just redo it and get a new therapist free of charge until you find the one uh that’s right for you go there right now get it off your chest with better help betterhelp.com NBA that’s betterhelp.com NBA for 10% off of your first month we’re back on the lock down Thunder podcast on the lockdown podcast Network your teams every day Joelle let’s start internally with Josh giddy like like let’s say Josh giddy is gonna be on the opening night roster here’s where I think that the Jos Kitty conversation is is the most pretzel inducing because you can grab pieces and parts of Sam prey’s presser and none of it adds up like we don’t really know what what’s going to happen here number one you know when he was asked about the josky extension he mentioned that they don’t have to extend this year they have another year to wait historically he’s not been willing to let guys hit restricted free agency now he also mentioned all throughout the press conference that he’s got to Pivot some ideas maybe that’s one of the ideas that he has to Pivot number two uh he mentioned how the the way that the Thunder have to operate is finding a way to leverage some of Josh giddy’s best skills where his best skill is his on bball potential in his allb playmaking you can’t have that in the starting lineup you cannot have that with with Shay and jayb you’re not g to take those guys off the ball so now you’re you’re having him in a contract year play away from the ball you know if he wants to be a starter or come off the bench in a contract year is that where Josh giddy wants to be at like this is a two-sided dilemma it’s not just what the Thunder want what the Thunder need to maximize uh and then you you have that third option of of could it work like like could this work at all period uh so I think that Josh giddy like I think that he wants to ideally have it work out here but by the same token like you’ve got to do what’s best for you so there’s a lot to unpack with the Josh giddy stuff and like uh it’s it’s tough to uh like you mentioned read what what Sam said about the trade deadline and think that that’s going to be a more viable option so the bottom line is this summer is huge for Josh gidy no matter where he plays basketball in October it’s going to be a big opportunity to play for his home country in the Olympics and play in a more natural role that suited it for his play style uh it’s gonna be big in terms of he’s eligible for a contract it’s gonna be big in terms of he’s got to improve his game just no matter what no matter no matter whose jersey he wears in October so with all that being said what’s your gauge on just Josh giddy the player and kind of where we land on opening night yeah I mean like you said there’s a lot of layers there I do think [Music] um it’s interesting because like if you read his words if you read the transcript of his exit interview like he’s saying like he gets asked about playing for Australia this summer and he’s like yeah I’ll be on the ball that’s who I am like he goes out of his way to say that’s the kind of player I am so clearly there’s like a there’s some you know self- acknowledgement of who he is who he remains even after playing off the ball for a year and and you know when when he’s asked about you know what he’ll hope to work on this summer what he’ll what he’ll you know hone in on um he leap to say shooting and so if if if Josh giddy working with this core is dependent on shooting I guess you just have to figure out where you land on whether that’s you know if a period of shooting for him is sustainable if if you know if he can be you know within the summer if he can become a good enough shoter to kind of offset what teams want to do with ch or what teams want to do period just in terms of leaving him completely alone like abandoning him parking a big under the rim are you confident that he’ll be 37 38% shooter that those looks will be in Rhythm that you know like you you have to decide where you’ll be there but and and then you know with Sam like I don’t know that i’ I know I haven’t been around long I don’t know that I’ve seen enough to to think you know let’s say say let’s say they do put him in a different role let’s say they do make him the bench facilitator which I imagine he would be even then secondary kind of playmaker because you don’t after what you just saw from dub last year I don’t know why you want to kind of take him off the ball as the primary guy in those second units and stuff but let’s say he is in Josh is in that role like I don’t know three months of that if it doesn’t look like what you thought it did if he still can’t be a off ball player does Sam seem like the type to pivot from him at the deadline I mean that just none of the things I think fans are like clamoring for with giddy um in this you know Thunder Utopia or dystopia rather like they don’t seem like Sam thinks like it doesn’t seem like Sam it didn’t seem like Sam honestly to move off of giddy at this pass deadline after three months of next season I don’t know that that’ll be the case then either assuming giddy isn’t you know who who people want him to be yeah so I think that you look at Josh goody and and here’s how it plays out uh to work in Oklahoma city either he is developing a good enough shooting game no knock to Josh kidy uh but even working with the best shooting coach in the world this this style of play is not suited for him it’s unfair to him frankly to relegate him to this role you’re not at all tapping into who he could be as an individual ual Talent which is a product of how fast and how good the Thunder have gotten as an entity that they can no longer put Josh kidy in a position to be the best version of Josh giddy he can be but let’s just say that Josh wants to make it work here regardless of that fact okay he can be a good enough shooter he’s not going to blow you away ever like we don’t see those leaps happen where they just become these unbelievable Shooters but he can be good enough uh so his role would be this Katch and shoot guy who in the realm of the thunder right when you say it out loud of how you would defend them even if Josh kid is good enough the best course of option is still to leave him alone because you’d rather invest that attention in Shay and J and chat the best course of action is still to play the way you’ve played this entire season he’s just going to hit more of those threes that you’ve got to match so then you use him as a screener and and like let him playmake out of the short role you use him in the dunker spot as a cutter uh then you lean into he’s only had one fantastic stretch of Rim finishing in his career it did in this season he looked really good doing it from March 1st through the end of the Pelican series uh but you know again that’s not a style that’s that’s suited to get the best out of Josh giddy who is like I think that we forget that like Josh giddy matters here like he he matters his opinion and his Viewpoint of what he wants from this matters just as much as what the Thunder want from this uh and so then how else can you do it in Oklahoma City like you mentioned you can relegate him to the bench because now you’ve you’ve kind of popped that bubble right that 218 game starting streak is now snapped so it makes it easier to go back to that well now and not mess with the juju not mess with um whatever was the excuses of why you didn’t pinch him earlier so now you bench him as we mentioned in the contract year he’s coming off the bench he still like you mentioned is not going to have the total reign of the playmaking chances because you’re still going to stagger JB and let him run the show to start the fourth quarter and to have these spurs to start second quarter and so on but you still get him more opportunities in in a role he’s comfortable with is that enough like is that enough for him to thrive both individually find satisfaction there and is that the best version of this team that you can get so from all angles that you’re coming at this again it’s just a lot to unpack of like how does this make sense for everybody involved yeah my upgrade thing is more so like like acknowledging like what that what that version of Josh looks like like the the wrinkles are cool like like you know the replace actions he does with Chad you know when the backside stuff works and teams slip up there um but like overall like a lot of it depends on he he’s gonna have to be a better shooter um and maybe the push shot has to fall at like a unbelievable rate because that’s like his go-to look with some of the spacing that comes out of this stuff and so like yeah like you have to ask yourself he has to ask himself if that version of him is you know what will lead to a budding career I mean the version of of giddy that got people jumping that you know had people gleaming with with with promise in their eyes right like like was the the giddy that could be on the ball and and facilitating like he he admitted that and in his exit interview just that’s who he is and so it is a tough question they’ll face I I do Wonder you know if he you know has any if they if Sam staying on you know they don’t have to have the conversation now how he maybe feels about that if he’s putting any weight on that if he knows of Sam’s history with with that at all because it it I thought it was an interesting tidbit for sure and I do wonder how they’re approaching the conversation yeah and you look at too um for Josh I think that Josh’s biggest swing is not three-point shooting because I think that even if you invest everything in your being into into that three-point shot he he would become just a a good you know a decent three-point shooter like he he made he made significant strides as a three-point shooter this year uh so it’s a lot to ask of him to get even better and even better and even better if he can as we mentioned as I mentioned on the show last summer if he can score inside the ark at will the floater uh scoring at the rim with it and utilizing his frame better as he as he learned to do later on in the season uh if he can score inside the the uh Arc including on the ball then he takes a next leap as a player not necessarily um The Catch and shoot three stuff which is the most you know SE seamless way right now with the role he’s in right now but I mean he Leed up to to 33% from from three this year uh from 32% last year but from a starting point of 26% uh his his uh first year in OKC so he’s gotten better uh but what’s left like what what’s left to reach in that aspect I think you can get to a 35 37% shooter but that still is not someone that you’re hugging on on away from the ball but if he can make himself Dynamite scoring uh on ball then he unlocks a different layer to himself he unlocks something different that that he can tap into away from Josh gidy um I I look at Jaylen Williams as a player who who can improve internally and I’m throwing Shay in this as well because I think that like Chad holgren he’s GNA take an uptick uptick in production next year I think a lot of it will come from those two guys and not chat a lot of it will come from Shay and jdub have to be better getting him the basketball in the pick and roll have to be better getting him opportunities early and often because you you’ve got to learn to trust Chet hren as a guy who is a lethal pick and pop option a lethal pick and roll option but also a very good passer for his size so if you go to him early in the pick and roll and the defense rotates perfectly and they take it away he’s going to get you the ball back I promise you I promise you I promise you he’s gonna redirect that ball out to one of you and then you two can go take your tough mid-range shots and and uh you know break the defenses back by by demoralizing them but when you try to do that first and you try to get to your tough spot first and then rely on Chad you’re kind of neutering uh the the overall impact that he can have now this is also partly on chat because there’s often times on chat where the ball gets swung to him especially at the top of the key where when you look at him catch the ball he’s catching it in this Triple Threat stance ready to get it to the next action and not looking to shoot he’s got to be looking to shoot more when the ball swings his way on the perimeter but you can unlock a heck of a lot from him by just improving as table Setters in the pick and roll no doubt I I thought uh I mean everybody I imagine thought this after the Dallas series but it was just r story in terms of um dub the Creator there’s still strides to be made there um obviously the handle for his like bulk his size um it’s fascinating like just as a pick and roll option um his push dribble like getting to his spots is no problem hitting tough shots at least in the regular season was no problem and so that that package is there but it’s like when when when the guy pulls away from the corner can you start making that skit pass can you make the pass over when somebody helps from like the nail like the defense pressed higher on him they really challenged his handle I thought they really challenged his his peripheral like line of vision um and it it some of that stuff was like glaring and so obviously like you said getting check the ball is one but I I I I think we’ll we’ll end up talking about this a lot this summer um just you know being a better making better pick and roll re um because I thought dub you know ironically because that’s the guy that’s hitting chat for every L I thought there were some simple reads probably to be made um throughout that series that um just weren’t there for him for whatever reason which I I guess those will come with development but but like you said like Che I there I got a couple of these CPS on on my page just of like real time cck catching it at the free throw line like I said Hing hitting like Isaiah Joe cutting back or or hitting the corner for like a case in three like he can make plays there I I was stunned with and I guess you know this is maybe a theme for people all year just you know how little chat was involved relative to what he maybe could have been but in that series especially I mean with the way Derek Lively’s defending um With You Know the Way Dallas is shutting off their water and the actions they usually want to run the Guard the guard stuff the perimeter stuff that you know relies depends on miscommunication with switches I thought they could have went to him more and forc him to make a play in the middle but obviously didn’t happen and and so that that’s that’s one thing I think with dub um we mentioned this earlier but just getting to the free throw line whatever that looks like for him um I know some people argue like that’s like a star perception thing like among refs I won’t speculate but um just not just finishing through contact but initiating contact I know I know people have their thoughts on like grifting or whatever I’m not saying he has to be that but like selling contact think initiates the contact very well but selling the contact like that’s what you’ve got to learn how to do yeah and so so some of that um which all the great creators I think are able to do um that’s that’s next for for dub I think do you have anyone else that’s like glaring like my glaring one is like getting better in the pick and roll getting better finding chat you have anything like you’re really looking for someone or something on this Thunder team to improve next year I I think there are uh I think I think Reed is like the thing for a lot of guys because I thought you know when the driving kick fell flat like when it didn’t lead to anything because of the way Dallas was defending I thought there were re and not just Shay and and dub I think that that’s who it gets pinned on most because those are the guys who are in the pick and roll most who are in the actions most who should be making re but like Dort um I give Dort credit because his shot selection mostly like generally changed um it’s mostly healthy now and that’s why I think that like that probably contributed to you know the shooting jump um but there were times like it felt like Dort was shooting ill time shots still um like there were reads to be made there in terms of just putting on the floor just getting it out of your hands but also like some of the driving kicks like they really died with dor I thought in that series like he just couldn’t drive like let’s say it was like Gafford on a per or whoever like he just couldn’t drive them and make an advantageous read he would maybe just get off it and I don’t know that dor has to become some crazy like ball handler or something like that but I I think there are um I imagine he picked up on some of this in the film but like I I think there are reads to be made from from a bunch of guys especially if like this is going to be their identity and and it can you know swing so far that way in terms of variance like there has to be more to the reads and just kind of reacting to to I mean everybody’s not Dallas but reacting to some of that stuff um Joel this was a lot of fun where can they find you what are you what are you cooking up anything else you wna leave us with yeah of course I got some I got some long form stuff going on obviously you know that’s my thing so uh cooking some of that stuff up this summer for sure I’ll be at the draft um I’ll be at Summer League I think Salt Lake and and Vegas so the wherever people need to see me maybe even where they’re looking for me they’ll they’ll find me I’ll be I’ll try to be more on Twitter Ryland so they can find me at at the app uh below you know so and and by the way the the better help I didn’t want to interject but better help maybe you need that for uh your your Darius B Obsession I was thinking that as you read that so listen there’s a lot of people who can make Darius basley jokes but uh you are not one jxy on Twitter uh you know Joel a lot of people on the beat a lot of Thunder me members were tweeting hours after the Sam pressy presser ended the Sam pressy presser is 40 pages long oh my gosh it’s it’s it’s 20,000 words it was a big it was a big Twitter discussion uh I don’t know why everybody’s so caught up in that that’s a Hornets gamer for Joel Lenay uh check them out JX Lorenzi on Twitter until until next time be good and be good to

The Oklahoma City Thunder have an interesting summer ahead, how aggressive should the OKC Thunder be? Will the Thunder go make a splash? Should Oklahoma City change its identity? What will the Thunder do with Josh Giddey? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams have to improve. Is Chet Holmgren a long-term option at center for Oklahoma City? How good can the Thunder be long-term?

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