OKC Thunder: What’s the plan in the post-Chris Paul era?
By Ryan Love
Developing young players in OKC
The OKC Thunder are no stranger to making young, talented players shine.
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden developed quickly to become an NBA Finals team that put the franchise on the map. Dennis Schroder came off the bench most of last season and developed into a reliable shooter and ball-handler worthy of pouncing on by the defending champion LA Lakers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the co-star of the Thunder backcourt, learning from Chris Paul and making a name for himself in his first legitimate role since coming into the league with the LA Clippers. Now, forward Kelly Oubre enters the fray after being a contributing factor to the Phoenix Suns’ resurgence that drove them to make the move for Paul.
Oubre, 24, is on his third team now since coming into the league as the 15th overall pick in 2015.
However, he figured out his game in Phoenix. Oubre averaged 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in 34.5 minutes per game. He’s a sparkplug who can drive to the rim, shoot from deep and create his own shot if he has to.
Oubre now comes to a team with direction where he’ll likely be a key piece for the future.
He’s bringing second-year guards Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque over from the Suns. Neither played significant roles on the team, but new Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, who coached the G-League OKC Blue for five seasons, is used to players like them who haven’t gotten their chance.
If they have potential, Daigneault should be able to see it.