Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Games To Watch In November
By Joshua Lea
3. Oklahoma City vs Orlando, Nov. 13
This will mark former Thunder player Serge Ibaka’s return to Oklahoma City since his trade on draft night. The Thunder traded him to Orlando for the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis. This trade was a bit of a surprise to the Thunder die-hards.
Ibaka being a fan favorite in Oklahoma City was a huge deal. In fact, Serge’s younger brother Igor Ibaka recently played for Oklahoma State. Igor has since announced he intends to transfer following the trade of Serge.
Nevertheless, the fans will most likely cheer for Ibaka when his name is called in the starting lineups. Ibaka and the Thunder had some great years in Oklahoma City. However, that ship has sailed and now Serge is on the other side.
The Magic have an interesting roster. With Ibaka, the Magic have former Thunder Jeff Green, Bismack Biyombo, Aaron Gordon, and Elfrid Payton. The Magic also added former Indiana Pacer head coach Frank Vogel to work with Ibaka and Biyombo.
Frank Vogel is an old-school coach. He likes to work the paint and feed the post. Ibaka and Biyombo will benefit from his style of coaching greatly. Ibaka will likely avoid shooting threes and return to the paint and learn how to be a dominant power forward.