Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by R1zzo23

Really, really, REALLY appreciate you catching up. Thanks for the season recap as well as some of those first few games really opened up some old wounds lol. The offseason is where we need to make our move. It starts with being very high in the lottery. It’s really looking like a 2-horse race between Holmgren and Banchero. If we can grab either guy, do we trade in more assets for a proven star to accelerate the rebuild? We would need to see who is available but Bradley Beal seems to be the target we may have our eyes on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

If you can get either Chet or Banchero, you've got a young big to develop and grow on your team. After that, I would look at trading some of the firsts (either in 22 or down the line) for some guys who can cover multiple holes on defense.



Beal is an idea, but I feel like OKC has enough offense at this point -- defense is where you're getting killed and Beal won't help there. Maybe swing a deal for Ben Simmons (he covers a lot of holes defensively, and offensively you don't need him as a primary option) or perhaps a DeAndre Hunter type -- a big wing who is versatile defensively and plays multiple positions on the roster. I feel like that's the missing piece for OKC.

[R1zzo23]

Good point. I’ll also need to re-sign Lu Dort but think we could upgrade at that wing defender spot. Though he is good, he’s only like 6’3” so he is limited in how effective he can be in the defensive end.


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[RMJH4]

Simmons could be a good shout alright. Plenty of assets to get that done too. You can really play downhill with him too. Alongside side Shai if you keep him, some shooters and you're golden!

[R1zzo23]

Quote: Originally Posted by RMJH4

Simmons could be a good shout alright. Plenty of assets to get that done too. You can really play downhill with him too. Alongside side Shai if you keep him, some shooters and you're golden!

Hmm, Simmons, Shai and Holmgren/Banchero? Very interesting.


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[Scuzz]

Nice to see a few wins! Giddey is coming along nicely since the start of the season. Excited to see the last stretch of games before heading into the offseason and seeing what moves you end up making.

[R1zzo23]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scuzz

Nice to see a few wins! Giddey is coming along nicely since the start of the season. Excited to see the last stretch of games before heading into the offseason and seeing what moves you end up making.

Giddey's steady improvement over the season has definitely helped us be much more competitive as the season goes on. If we can get him to be a better defender and shooter, he's going to be a great piece going forward with Shai, our top pick and any veteran we swing and trade for. The offseason should be fun in OKC!

[R1zzo23]

Poku, Thunder Roll Through the Windy City for Easy W





After two quick buckets - one mid-range jumper and one easy finish in the lane - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (47 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast, 1 blk) buries a triple, compliments to a lazy closeout by Lonzo Ball (8 pts, 6 ast, 1 stl). This effort on D was a microcosm of the Chicago defense on the night and the season as they are one of the worst in the league. After scoring the first seven points for the Thunder, it was obvious that SGA wasn’t going to let up on the Bulls tonight.



The quality play continued to roll for Josh Giddey (21 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast, 2 stl) and his growing confidence is evident as he takes Zach LaVine (34 pts, 3 reb, 7 ast, 1 blk) down to the block and hits a little lefty hook over the Bulls’ All-Star.



Seemingly having to do it all on his own on the offensive end, Zach LaVine was up to the task as he poured in 34 points including this triple after losing Lu Dort (8 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) running off screens. While he led the team in scoring, he needed 33 shots to reach that scoring total.



The hoop and the harm as Dorian Finney-Smith (5 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl) gets put on a poster by Air Canada on this two-handed slam. Gilgeous-Alexader scored 16 of the team’s 31 points in the first quarter and looked unstoppable.



He doesn’t just score but he plays defense, too! Shai rises up to swat bench big man Tony Bradley (2 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk) weak layup attempt, smacking it off the glass to lead for yet another fast break opportunity.



LaVine didn’t just pour in buckets from the perimeter but showed off his world-class athleticism on this drive. As he got past Dort on the wing he finished with a sweet reverse jam that saw the Thunder’s best defender left in the dust and just watching the show like the rest of the crowd.



While Shai was putting in work, a lot of his success comes off of rookie guard Josh Giddey setting him up. While this mid-range fadeaway jumper over rookie Ayo Dosunmo (5 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl) looks easy for SGA, it was only possible because of the pure dime Giddey drops right into his hands on the move allowing the Thunder’s star to get open.



Not just satisfied with setting up his teammates, Giddey was aggressive with his own offense, especially attacking off the bounce. After being played for the pass time after time, Giddey takes this drive for himself and finishes with authority at the rim.



It was a show all night for those with a ticket as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wowed the crowd from the opening tip. On this drive, he drove baseline, got cut off by Lonzo Ball and finished with an acrobatic layup to create some separation. The Chicago lead guard was seen hanging his head after this finish, basically admitting defeat after realizing there was nothing he could do to slow Shai down tonight.



Josh Giddey continued to stay aggressive, especially when SGA is on the bench, and finds himself rising up for this three ball on the left wing. Typically, Giddey would drive this to the rack with the space he had but the trust he is starting to find in his jumper is going to open up much more scoring opportunities for him going forward.

[studbucket]

Look at these Thunder. You might get 6+ wins this year and end up with Keegan Murray

There's clearly a style of play for this team and it's fun you've figured it out.