Happy New Year, Thunder fans!
Welcome back to The Graham Jam newsletter, the first of 2022. I hope you all enjoyed some time off and some Thunder basketball over the past couple weeks.
There truly was a lot to enjoy. Fans got to see several players make their Thunder debut and Oklahoma City racked up wins against the Pelicans and Knicks between Christmas and New Year's. The new players were a matter of necessity, as OKC's roster was decimated by COVID-19 as positive players entered the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Still, G-League players Rob Edwards, Olivier Sarr, Jaylen Hoard and Scotty Hopson got an opportunity because of the adversity. Plus other Thunder, like Aaron Wiggins, used the roster crunch to put in some outstanding minutes and argue for more playing time moving forward.
Josh Giddey got in on the fun Sunday night during OKC's loss to the Mavericks. In his first game back from COVID, Giddey became the youngest player in NBA history to register a triple-double, with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists on the night. Congratulations to this young star!
This week in The Graham Jam, we'll look back and look ahead at the OKC schedule, meet another exciting draft prospect and consider which Thunder players might be dealt away at the deadline.
Let's go!
Last week
Sacramento 117, Thunder 111 (12/28 AWAY)
Phoenix 115, Thunder 97 (12/29 AWAY)
Thunder 95, New York 80 (12/31 HOME)
Dallas 95, Thunder 86 (1/2 HOME)
Wheeler dealers?
Now that the calendar has turned over, it's time to look ahead to the next huge date in the league calendar: the trade deadline. The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. CT.
What are the Thunder looking for? It depends on how the team plays between now and then. Oklahoma City is within shouting distance of the play-in tournament which, for those who haven't seen it over the past two seasons, allows the ninth- and 10th-place teams in each conference to compete with the seven- and eight-seeds for the last two playoff spots. In other words, the 10th-best team in the conference now has a shot to make it in.
Currently, the 10th-best team in the West is the Sacramento Kings at 16-22. The Thunder are 2 games behind them at 13-23, so theoretically they could certainly play their way into the tournament and maybe even the playoffs.
It's also true, however, that Oklahoma City is tied with New Orleans for the fourth-worst record in the league. Probably more than making a long-shot tournament for a long-shot playoff run, the organization's priority is to keep the team's record bad and improve its chance for a good draft pick. So, perhaps counterintuitively, the Thunder brass may well use the trade deadline to actively try to make the roster worse, and get some future pieces in return.
With that in mind, here are a few players who could be on the move come February:
Kenrich Williams. Kenny Hustle has got to be the most obvious move for OKC. This backup big man provides a spark off the bench every game for Oklahoma City, averaging 6.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in about 21 minutes per game this year. At 40.6%, Williams is among the best 3-point shooters on the team.
At 27, Williams is considerably older than the Thunder's young stars and doesn't really fit their timeline for contention. There was interest in Williams at last year's deadline, and there should be plenty this season, too.
Mike Muscala. Muscala is a trade candidate for most of the same reasons that Kenny Hustle is. He can shoot, he is the oldest player on the team, and he is helping the Thunder to wins that Sam Presti doesn't necessarily want.
It would be a shame to trade Muscala, a fan favorite who has shown loyalty to the city and organization. But he would enjoy helping a contender in a playoff push, I'm sure.
Derrick Favors. Favors hasn't really upped his trade value since arriving in Oklahoma City, and thus is unlikely to be the centerpiece of any deal. But any team that needs a backup big man, whether because of injury or lack of depth, might consider this longtime Jazzman in the right package.
Luguentz Dort. Don't worry; I am not predicting the Thunder will trade Dort. I don't think they will, actually. But I think we should consider the possibility, because Dort might be the most valuable asset the organization has right now, minus its cornerstone pieces Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey, and could fetch a handsome return.
Then again, the Quebecker has been slumping recently and struggling from deep. If he can catch fire again between now and the 10th, expect some interest around the league. The Thunder will have to listen.
Tank Time
As we have the last two weeks, let's use this edition of Tank Time to meet another prospect for the 2022 NBA Draft. We've already discussed the long and lanky Chet Holmgren, as well as the versatile big man Paolo Banchero. This week we'll meet Jabari Smith Jr. of the Auburn Tigers.
Before the college basketball season began, most mock drafts would have assumed either Holmgren or Banchero at the top of the board. And they still might be. But no player has helped his own cause as much as Smith, whose play on the court has vaulted him to the very top of many mocks.
Smith is averaging 16.2 points, 2.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds this season while shooting 45% overall and 43% from 3. At 6-10, Smith's shooting puts him in elite big man territory; he also knocks down more than 83% of his free throws.
In other words, he's exactly he kind of versatile, positionless, tall player that Presti drools over. He can handle the ball, defend on the perimeter, and pester offenses with his length and athleticism.
Smith isn't a sure thing or a finished product. He'll need to get stronger at the next level and improve his rim protection, too, which he doesn't have to do much of at Auburn. But Smith is a fierce competitor and may be the safest bet of the three prospects we've discussed so far. He will go quickly on draft night, and Oklahoma City hopes to be in the mix.
That's all from me this week, folks; let's look ahead to another week of Thunder basketball, the first full week of 2022. Enjoy, and Thunder Up!
This week
1/5: Thunder @ Minnesota, 7 p.m., Bally Sports Oklahoma
1/7: Thunder vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m., BSOK
1/9: Thunder vs. Denver, 6 p.m., BSOK