OKC Thunder sophomore special: Semaj Christon’s second year
Semaj Christon is heading to his second season with the OKC Thunder. Now that NBA Summer League is finished, Christon will look to take what he’s learned from this offseason into next year.
Playing point guard is the toughest position to play in basketball. In Semaj Christon‘s case, he had to play the point guard position in the NBA as a rookie for the Oklahoma City Thunder behind the league MVP. Talk about tough.
Christon finished NBA Summer League in the third place game against the Indiana Pacers, where the Thunder lost 89-80. He scored 21 points while going 10-for-10 at the free throw line to lead all scorers.
Christon has proved he has talent to compete and even made his way into the backup point guard role during last season behind Westbrook. This season, however, the OKC Thunder signed Raymond Felton and now Christon will have to be the third string point guard.
Best game last year
Christon’s best game came the day after New Year’s Day when he dropped 11 points on the Milwaukee Bucks. The points came in a losing effort when two Malcolm Brogdon free throws sealed a 94-98 defeat for OKC.
Steven Adams had 20, Westbrook had 30 and Victor Oladipo chipped in 18, but those efforts were not enough. Christon went 5-for-6 from the field, made a three-pointer and had two assists in the game.
How Christon fits in the scheme for the next year
Christon might only get in when the Thunder blow out teams, but having a third point guard on the team provides depth. Westbrook’s legs will be able to be rested with the depth that the Thunder now have at point guard.
At just 67 games, Westbrook’s usage rate was at 42 percent, which was the highest of any player who logged 2,000 minutes for the season. Now with the depth at the point guard position and with the Thunder adding Paul George, Westbrook’s work load will not be that heavy.
How Christon can improve for next year
As you know by now, Christon is going to be the third point guard. That means he can improve by learning from veterans, Westbrook and Felton. Felton is a 12-year vet and Westbrook is a nine-year vet. Christon will have to soak up everything he learns from backing those two players up.
His improvement will be more mental than in game learning. When there is a situation on the court where the point guard has to figure out what to do for the team to be successful, then Christon can be on the sideline making mental notes that will help him down the road.
Conclusion
Christon can make the best out of being the third point guard by making mental notes of things in practice and in game by the veterans in front of him. His situation will be like a rookie quarterback that takes a year off and holds the clipboard to learn how to run the offense properly before he is ready to lead the team.
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While Christon may not get his day with the Thunder, he will be able to take what he’s learned this season into the future wherever he plays.