Stock Up, Stock Down

Good morning! Welcome back to The Graham Jam newsletter, where every Monday we recap the week that was in Thunder basketball, catch you up on the team, and look ahead at what's to come.

OKC had a surprising week in a great way. Having struggled throughout January with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, it seemed that more pain was in store when SGA left the lineup with an injury.

But so far, so good! Oklahoma City is 3-1 since SGA's ankle sprain, including a three-game win streak that was only snapped Saturday in Sacramento. The loss brings Oklahoma City to 17-35 on the year.

In this week's Graham Jam, we'll get to know a new member of the Thunder rotation, examine which players have improved or regressed since the season began, and play another round of Tank Time. Let's go!

Last week

Thunder 98, Portland 81 (1/31 HOME)

Thunder 120, Dallas 114 in OT (1/2 AWAY)

Thunder 96, Portland 93 (1/4 AWAY)

Sacramento 113, Thunder 103 (1/5 AWAY)

Get to know: Mamadi Diakite

Ever since the Thunder's COVID-19 outbreak in December, the team has had to call on players who weren't in the rotation to start the year. But none of those players has stuck around as long as Mamadi Diakite, who is now on his third 10-day contract with the squad.

It's unclear if Diakite will finish the year with OKC, but the second-year big is making a case and even earning some starts for the Thunder.

Diakite was born in 1997 and raised in the African nation of Guinea, but moved to a Virginia boarding school in 2014 to pursue basketball in the States. Drawing interest from several big-time college programs, Diakite stayed close to "home" by attending the University of Virginia, where he was part of the same Ty Jerome Cavs squad that was defeated by a 16-seed in 2018 and then, one year later, won the NCAA Tournament.

Despite his championship pedigree, Diakite went undrafted out of college and caught on with the Milwaukee Bucks as a two-way player. He added to his trophy room as a rookie, catching a G League championship with the Lakeland Magic and then filling out Milwaukee's bench during its championship run.

When the Bucks waived Diakite before the 2021-2022 season began, Sam Presti took a chance on the 6-9 Guinean with a knack for being in the right place at the right time. But while competing for a roster spot in OKC, Diakite's luck turned as he fractured his left hip in the preseason and didn't make the cut to stay on the team.

Still, when OKC needed reinforcements, Presti turned again to a now-healthy Diakite on a 10-day contract. Diakite is now on his third 10-day deal with the Thunder.

Diakite has played 12 games and started three of them for OKC. He averages 14.5 minutes with 4.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.

Oklahoma City's frontcourt has thinned with injuries to Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Roby, giving Diakite a chance to prove he can stick in the league. OKC would have to waive a player, perhaps Paul Watson Jr., to make permanent room for Diakite on a two-way deal.

Still, the scrappy young big man has stuck around longer and carved out a bigger role than the other reinforcements OKC brought in. So for those wondering about this new face in the starting lineup, Diakite is a talent easy to root for.

Stock up, stock down

With the season well over halfway complete and the trade deadline about to pass, it's worth pausing to consider which Thunder players are underwhelming, and which are overachieving, through the 2021-2022 season.

Oklahoma City's rebuild is all about talent acquisition; only Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey are truly safe bets to be part of the next great Thunder team. Everyone else is competing for consideration. Which players have helped their case so far?

Stock up: Luguentz Dort

Lu Dort has never lacked for confidence, but the rest of us have been pleasantly surprised to watch this undrafted wing blossom into a legitimate NBA role-player. Sure, it would be nice if Dort were a better shooter for how often he shoots; but it's hard to fault him for taking shots on a roster that lacks many scoring threats.

Now in his third season, Dort is averaging 16.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, both career highs. His 3-point percentage is down slightly from last year, so far, but his field goal percentage is up overall and his true-shooting percentage is nearly 54%, a career high.

Combine that with lockdown defense, and Oklahoma City has either an enticing trade candidate or long-term building block on its hands. Presti will determine which, possibly as early as this week.

Stock down: Aleksej Pokusevski

Aleksej Pokusevski started 28 games last season and became a fan favorite in OKC, as well as a league-wide curiosity. Most fans expected him to play a huge role for the Thunder this year. Instead, it's now fair to wonder whether Poku can stick in the NBA at all.

Poku returned to the lineup on Saturday after a monthlong exile with the OKC Blue. It's not surprising or alarming that Poku is getting time with the Blue this season, but his play during that stretch was not encouraging. An NBA talent should dominate the G League; instead, Poku is averaging just 7.4 points and under 25 minutes per game in 20 G League games this season. He is shooting under 35% from the floor.

Hopefully Saturday's 12-point outing in Sacramento will get the Serbian back on track. After all, he's still only 20 years old.

Stock up: Kenrich Williams

We've talked plenty about Kenny Hustle in this newsletter, so no need to belabor the point. His statistics are down slightly from last season, but Williams has nonetheless displayed the consistency and maturity that contenders crave. Will OKC's three-game win streak make Presti more inclined to deal him?

Stock down: Theo Maledon

Maledon is another player whose 2020-2021 campaign might have led fans to expect a bigger role this season. Unfortunately, the second-year Frenchman has bounced between the big club and the Blue all season, never earning significant NBA minutes on the way.

The emergence of Giddey and Tre Mann, along with solid play from Ty Jerome, has squeezed the Thunder guard rotation to the point that even Gilgeous-Alexander's injury is unlikely to get Maledon significant playing time. His shooting has cratered and he's earned no starts, meaning Maledon might not be long for Oklahoma City.

Sadly, there's a lot more "stock down" than "stock up" on the Thunder this season. Poku and Maledon are two significant examples, but the same could be said of players like Derrick Favors, Darius Bazley, Roby and Vit Krejci. Hopefully, this lean year will net Oklahoma City much more talent to work with via the NBA Draft.

Tank Time

Speaking of! Before we go, let's spin the wheel at Tankathon.com to see what the draft lottery simulation has in store this week.

If the season ended today, Oklahoma City would have a 12.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick and a 48.1% chance to pick inside the top four. You'll recall that OKC was given the No. 1 pick in last week's sim. Here are today's results:

1. Orlando

2. Detroit

3. Indiana (+2 from current record)

4. San Antonio (+3)

5. Houston (-2)

6. Oklahoma City (-2)

7. Sacramento (-1)

8. New Orleans

9. Portland

10. New York

11. Washington

12. Atlanta

13. Memphis (via LA Lakers)

14. Charlotte

Everyone loves Giddey, but Oklahoma City fans would still be bitterly disappointed to find the team picking No. 6 for the second year in a row.

That's all from me this week! Let's look ahead to the next few days of Thunder basketball, and Thunder Up!

This week

1/7: Thunder vs. Golden State, 7 p.m., Bally Sports Oklahoma

1/9: Thunder vs. Toronto, 7 p.m., BSOK

1/11: Thunder @ Philadelphia, 6 p.m., BSOK

1/13: Thunder @ Chicago, 7 p.m., BSOK