Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles on Twitter) dives into the Oklahoma City Thunder falling to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Preseason game two. OKC Thunder rookie Ousmane Dieng looks the part of the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Dieng plays stellar defense and there is a ton of optimism around his offensive progression. Josh Giddey continues to be a magician for the Thunder as the year two guard has his fingerprints all over this game. Can OKC get more out of Darius Bazley? Will Oklahoma City see Tre Mann grow into a more consistent player? Plus, the Bricktown Boys have a shot to be a top-ten defense in this league.
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10 Comments
On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you for Ousmane Dieng?
8.5/10
It’s up there and thank you for answering my question. The game where he gets 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 assists and 15 points we’ll have a real insight.
As preposterous as it sounds I believe he resembles Giannis-lite in his frame and skills at a similar age.
Definitely 10/10!
Yes sir 10/10
Nice thoughts as usual. I spoke too soon on Victor, but we’re going to see an all timer in Chet.
J-Gid closes gap on Luka innit
Giddey needs to get to the elbow qua elbow with a live dribble then the ultimate .l.i.g.h.t.h.o.u.s.e. heliocentric/heliotrope offense , see:MJ's triple threat plus
4 potential receivers @ 360°
#ThunderUp 🌩️
OG can be a legit all star.
Frankly; I don’t understand why anyone would NOT want to tank this season.
As has been previously established, tanking DOES NOT destroy team culture, or prevent our good young players from gaining experience; in fact, quite the opposite; as most of our young guys are playing way more minutes than they would elsewhere. It simply places us in the best position to take a prospect (like Victor) who will undoubtedly be a NUMBER 1 scoring and defensive option on a team one day. He has the potential to be a Giannis, Curry, KD, Jokic, Embiid, Lebron, & Luka type of player, a HIM. A “That guy” type of elite superstar; which is absolutely necessary to win in todays game.
And I’m going to be honest, as much as I love SGA and Giddey and Chet; I don’t believe any of them have the potential to be that caliber. I do think Shai is underrated, but I’m sorry if I just don’t think he can be the number 1 option on a championship caliber team. Wembanyama can be that guy imo.
I also love OKC to death, born there, raised in Oklahoma. But unfortunately, nobody of significance wants to come play here if they haven’t experienced it already and understood how nice of a city it is to play in. It’s a harsh reality, but to deny it and not tank is folly.
It’s one thing to try and fail in getting Wembanyama by tanking for a season, and getting unlucky in the lottery; It’s another to not try at all, when you have nothing to lose, and then you’re stuck in mediocrity losing to Luka, Ja, and Zion every year in the playoffs before you even have a chance to lose to Giannis in the finals.
THAT is what a TRUE WASTE of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s prime would be; not tanking for one more season, trying to get Scoot or Victor, while Chet can’t play anyway, when there is absolutely no benefit in pushing for the play in this season.
If after all that, I’m proven wrong and it doesn’t work out, then fine. But at least we tried to put ourselves in position to get the best prospect since Lebron, after we had KD and fumbled the bag because we preferred a ball dominant, inefficient point guard.
Plus, it’s often stated that European players are much more loyal to their teams than American players (Giannis, Jokic) SO WHY NOT AT LEAST TRY TO HAVE THE SAME IN WEMBANYAMA!!! A home grown superstar representing Oklahoma across the country and worldwide.
Please OKC fans; one more year, have faith, know we MUST tank; even if it doesn’t work out, we don’t lose anything, and at the end of all this tanking, should only mediocrity be our fate; then at least we can say we tried to put ourselves in the best position, rather than just sitting there and letting it happen.
One… more… season…. For OKC.