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Oklahoma City Thunder -
Graham Dudley
Happy Monday, and welcome back to The Graham Jam!
I hope you had a great Christmas and are ending 2021 on a high note.
The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be, as they have won four of their five past ballgames after Sunday night's 117-112 victory over New Orleans. OKC's only loss during that stretch came to Phoenix, one of the best teams in the league, on Dec. 23.
The team now sits at 12-20 for the season — one of the worst records in the conference, it's true, but also just 1.5 games back of the No. 10 seed and a spot in the play-in tournament.
In this week's Graham Jam, we'll look at our All-Star ballots and meet another contender for the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2022. But first, a look back at the schedule:
Last week
Thunder 102, Memphis 99 (12/20 AWAY)
Thunder 108, Denver 94 (12/22 HOME)
Phoenix 113, Thunder 101 (12/23 AWAY)
Thunder 117, New Orleans 112 (12/26 HOME)
Vote Thunder!
It's almost time for the NBA All-Star game! This year's matchup will take place in Cleveland on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022. With the game approaching, fan voting for All-Star spots began on Christmas Day this past weekend.
Like every other team in the league, the Thunder are encouraging their fans to get online and vote. Fans' votes carry 50% of the weight in determining All-Star game starters, so they have a huge say in how the roster shakes out.
Oklahoma City hasn't had an All-Star since 2020, Chris Paul's lone go-round with the team, and it won't be easy to get a player on the squad this season given the Thunder's record. Perhaps the best candidate, though, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Shai has started 28 games for OKC this year and is averaging 22.1 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists. The team's workhorse and go-to scorer, Gilgeous-Alexander has played more minutes and has a higher usage rate than anyone else.
His case will be hampered by poor 3-point shooting — he's under 30% for the year — and the fact that his scoring average and efficiency is actually slightly down since last year, his injury-abbreviated campaign.
Luguentz Dort, with career-best scoring and rebounding figures, also merits some consideration here.
There are three different ways to vote for Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, or your favorite Thunder player to start the NBA All-Star game.
1. Online at NBA.com/vote
2. On the NBA app
3. On Twitter. Use the player's handle or the hashtag format #FirstNameLastName (e.g. #ShaiGilgeousAlexander) in any tweet, retweet or reply, along with #NBAAllStar, for the vote to be logged.
Fans can vote on the website or app once per day; they can vote for up to 10 unique players on Twitter every day.
The All-Star game starters will be revealed on Thursday, Jan. 27 on TNT.
Tank Time
It's time to meet another superstar prospect! These are the players Oklahoma City will likely consider should they find themselves picking at or near the top of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Last week we met Duke freshman Paolo Banchero, saying he was the country's No. 2 overall recruit. Today let's meet the No. 1 recruit: Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren is a freshman at powerhouse Gonzaga University, where he protects the rim and chips 13.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game. Considered a "unicorn" for his ball-handling ability and shooting, Holmgren is knocking down more than 37% of his 3-pointers and and 62% of his field goals overall.
It's easy to see how Holmgren could help the Thunder, or anyone else. Oklahoma City values positional flexibility and versatility; there's no doubt Holmgren will be a center, but he has the diverse skillset OKC prizes. Holmgren would give the team more size, more shooting and better defense right away.
The knock on Holmgren is uncertainty about how he will hold up. He is at least 7 feet tall but weighs only 195 pounds, give or take, and some consider him too skinny for the next level. It's a concern Thunder fans will relate to, as Aleksej Pokusevski tries to establish himself in the league despite a wiry frame.
Ultimately, there are plenty of players who have put on the necessary pounds after entering the NBA. Just look at Kevin Durant, or Rudy Gobert. Holmgren isn't a sure thing, but he's pretty close, and likely to be a top-three pick this summer.
Oklahoma City currently has the fifth-worst record in the league and would have a 10.5% chance to pick No. 1 overall, if the season ended today.
That's all from me this week, folks. May your Merry Christmas become a very Happy New Year, and here's to another great year of Thunder basketball.
This week
12/28: Thunder @ Sacramento, 9 p.m., Bally Sports Oklahoma
12/29: Thunder @ Phoenix, 8 p.m., BSOK
12/31: Thunder vs. New York, 7 p.m., BSOK
1/2: Thunder vs. Dallas, 7 p.m., BSOK