Don't Be Blue: Thunder Win 2 Straight

Welcome back to The Graham Jam! The Thunder are coming off two exciting victories and looking to carry their momentum into the next week with winnable games against New Orleans and Sacramento.

This week we'll review the results since our last newsletter, meet the veteran big man OKC brought in this summer, and end with a chat about the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate.

Let's go!

Last week

Los Angeles Clippers 99, Thunder 94 (11/1 AWAY)

Thunder 107, Los Angeles Lakers 104 (11/4 AWAY)

Thunder 99, San Antonio 94 (11/7 HOME)

Get to know: Derrick Favors

Unlike the last two players we've profiled on this newsletter, both rookies, Derrick Favors has years of NBA experience on his resume. That makes him quite the outlier on Oklahoma City, the youngest team in the league. So what is Favors' role on this Thunder team?

Favors was acquired from the Utah Jazz in July 2021. Oklahoma City got a future first-round pick to go with him, while sending Utah a future second-round pick and cash. The deal helped out both teams: It added another future draft pick to OKC's formidable arsenal, and saved Utah the money it needed to re-sign Mike Conley without drastic financial penalties. Unfortunately, that left Favors himself something of an afterthought in the deal.

Which is a shame, because Favors had a deep connection to the Jazz team that dealt him. Favors had played 10 seasons in Salt Lake City, departing for only one year as a free agent to the Pelicans before re-signing with Utah the following offseason in 2020.

In 2020-2021, Favors was the primary backup to All-Star center Rudy Gobert, but his production lagged. He averaged 5.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game last season.

Utah is in win-now mode, and couldn't really bet on Favors to regain his old form. The Thunder, however, are happy to take that bet. They're not losing sleep over their record, and likely view Favors as a potential trade candidate down the road. General Manager Sam Presti may see more draft picks in his future, if Favors plays well enough.

Battling with the shorter Jeremiah Robinson-Earl for playing time at the 5, Favors so far has started five of OKC's nine games this year. Coming off the bench on Sunday night, Favors contributed just two points but also five rebounds and two steals in about 12.5 minutes.

Favors' biggest contribution this season will likely be his leadership and mentorship of younger players. No, he's doesn't have a championship ring, but Favors spent years immersed in a solid Utah culture that has made that squad a perennial contender. He understands what it takes to win at the top of this league, and will help young big men like the aforementioned Robinson-Earl.

"During my career, I've been in different situations," Favors said before last Monday's game in Los Angeles. "Whether I'm starting or coming off the bench, playing 10 minutes or playing 30 minutes, playing in the fourth quarter or not playing in the fourth quarter. So I feel like, for myself, I've been put in every situation possible. And this is a new one for me. I've accepted it.

"We talked about it -- me, (head coach) Mark (Daigneault), the rest of the bigs on the team, we talked about it," he continued. "When I start, they support me, and when they start I support them. That's just how we've been doing it."

Through nine games, Favors' overall numbers have rebounded a bit to 6.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game -- though he is uncharacteristically averaging well under a block per game so far.

Feeling Blue

Under the shadow of the big club, the Oklahoma City Blue also began their season on Friday, Nov. 5 with a victory over the Salt Lake City Stars. For those unfamiliar, the Blue are Oklahoma City's "G League," or minor league, affiliate. In much the same way a baseball team can stash talent and develop players in Triple-A, the G League offers more playing time and experience for promising future Thunder.

While minor league basketball is hardly glamorous, the Blue will be worth paying attention to this season for Thunder fans. Because of recent changes at the Cox Convention Center, the team's former home, the Blue will now be playing their home games inside the Paycom Center just like the Thunder. They are, in fact, the only G League team to play their full home schedule in the parent club's arena this year.

This will make for fun day-night "doubleheaders" where the Blue play one game and are followed later that night by a Thunder game in the same arena. The next such doubleheader will be this Friday, Nov. 12, when the Blue take on the Santa Cruz Warriors at noon before the Thunder play the Sacramento Kings that night at 7 p.m.

But the main reason to keep an eye on the Blue this year is because of all the NBA experience that will be seen at their games. Daigneault has made it clear that much of his roster could benefit from some extra seasoning and may be assigned to the Blue periodically this year. Players like Josh Giddey, a Lottery pick who cracks the Thunder starting lineup every game, are unlikely to get such an assignment. But the Thunder's next pick -- Tre Mann, drafted No. 18 overall from Florida this summer -- has already seen action with the Blue. Ditto for Vit Krejci and Isaiah Roby, who've also played for the Thunder this season.

"I think the Blue is going to present opportunities for the person going," Daigneault told the media on Oct. 25. "And then if you're sending a player that is playing minutes (for the Thunder) -- which is going to happen -- then you're also creating opportunities here for the guys. You're able to reallocate that role, and reallocate those minutes to either get another guy involved, or get those minutes to somebody else that's not playing as many.

"So it's kind of a win-win," Daigneault said.

The coach stressed that going to the Blue this year is "not a demotion," but rather a "cheat code" for the developmental restraints that come with limited games, minutes and possessions with the Thunder. "You send a guy to the Blue, and you can extend their opportunities and also loosen opportunities here for other people," he explained. "And we're going to do that pretty liberally, I would say."

He said that going to the Blue isn't just about getting more minutes, but also a chance to fill a new role entirely -- from the bench to the starting lineup, from a learner to a leader. So look for many Thunder players, some of them solid rotation members, to spend a little time on the farm this season.

That's all for me folks; we'll end with a look ahead to this week's slate of games. Until next time, Thunder Up!

This week

11/10: Thunder @ New Orleans, 7 p.m., Bally Sports Oklahoma

11/12: Thunder vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m., BSOK

11/14: Thunder vs. Brooklyn, 6 p.m., BSOK