Category Archives: Thunder At a Glance

Thunder At A Glance – 09 October 2018

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img_4063Chris Murch (OKC Thunder Wire) on Billy Donovan being a fan of the preseason schedule: “So what we can do is take these four games and then be able to use that week to really look and evaluate of things we have to continue to grow in and get better in, things we’re doing well, we want to continue doing.”

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) with a preview of tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks: “That process has been going well, despite the fact that the Thunder has had more than its share of injuries during U.S. Cellular Training Camp. Two starters in Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson and Abdel Nader have missed every preseason game, Paul George missed one game due to a personal matter and Terrance Ferguson has had to leave early from two contests. Despite the adversity, the Thunder’s next-man-up mentality has served the group well, and the team has been able to press on in its growth as a unit.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 09 October 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 08 October 2018

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img_4063Check out the 2nd episode of The Weekly through the Topic: Thunder Podcast. We talked about the first two preseason games, injury updates, and previewed the Northwest Division. You can subscribe for the podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) on the energy shown by the Thunder in their win against the Atlanta Hawks: “Rookie Hamidou Diallo again was impressive, utilizing his athleticism, tenacity and intelligence to make plays, garnering more minutes after starter Terrance Ferguson went down with concussion-like symptoms. Sure, as a 20-year old, Diallo will have moments like when he hesitated on a cut to the rim. But he made up for it by receiving the pass from a posted-up George and turning the corner quickly to attack the rim to draw a foul. Diallo was aggressive on the glass in keeping loose balls alive and finished both at the rim and at the charity stripe as he chipped in 13 points and 5 rebounds.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 08 October 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 05 October 2018

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img_4063Royce Young (ESPN) on the setback suffered by Andre Roberson in his recovery from a ruptured patella tendon: “After suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in January, Roberson was on track to return to the floor in November, but he needed an additional procedure because a suture was causing irritation that he couldn’t play through.”

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) with reaction to the Thunder’s first preseason game: “It was a Thunder group featuring a 14-year veteran in reserve point guard Raymond Felton, forward Jerami Grant, backup center Nerlens Noel and then 20-year-old Terrance Ferguson and 19-year-old Hamidou Diallo. Clashing against the Pistons’ All-Star center Andre Drummond, a rising, physical forward in Stanley Johnson and few other veteran starters, the Thunder youngsters hung in there and made Wednesday’s preseason opener a high-intensity, competitive battle for all 48 minutes.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 05 October 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 04 October 2018

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img_4063The Topic: Thunder crew recaps the Pistons game on their first recap podcast.

Erik Horne (NewsOK) with one of the major developments from the Thunder’s first preseason game: The Dennis Schröder/Steven Adams pick and roll: ““I spend time with him, mate,” Adams said of the chemistry between him and Schroder. “It’s more about finding out what you like, where you’re looking. Whenever you’re trying to figure out their body language in terms of them coming off screens, how they’re setting up, it helps on both sides. Especially with the passes, he will ask me what type of passes I like. It just comes down to that.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 04 October 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 03 October 2018

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img_4063Guess what, Thunder fans???? It’s Game Day!!!!!

Chris Munch (OKC Thunder Wire) on what could have been if Carmelo Anthony would have stayed: “While this might be the politically correct way answer to the question, P.G.’s belief that Melo was a positive on their roster is an interesting thought given all the advanced analytics saying otherwise.”

Grant Afseth (OKC Thunder Wire) on the Thunder’s transition this preseason from Russell Westbrook to Dennis Schroder: “His ability just to read the different screens, and not just read them but set up his man, if that makes sense,” Adams said. “It’s a big difference that I notice in guards that know how to use pick-and-rolls.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 03 October 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 02 October 2018

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img_4063Dan Favale and Adam Fromal (Bleacher Report) look at the top 15 point guards in the league: “But we’d be remiss to gloss over Westbrook’s most glaring wart. And it ain’t his defense. His effort waxes and wanes. Whatever. That happens to high-usage lifelines. His penchant for errant off-the-dribble jumpers is more damning.”

Grant Afseth (OKC Thunder Wire) looks at if Paul George can regain his mid-range efficiency: “Last season, George’s output on mid-range jumpers within the half-court dropped to only 0.65 points per possession. His efficiency ranked 14th in the league compared to the 15 players that logged at least 200 attempts. The main difference was that George went from shooting on average 2.6-of-5.5 (47.1 percent) on two-point pull-ups in 2016-17 to 1.3-of-3.6 (36.2 percent) last season.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 02 October 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 01 October 2018

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img_4063Check out the inaugural episode of the Topic: Thunder Podcast, featuring myself, Anthony Montero, Dylan Huntzinger, Stephen Dolan, and Matthew Mullins, where we discuss the first week of training camp and the upcoming preseason games.

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) recaps the Blue and White scrimmage: “Along the perimeter, during the Thunder’s annual Blue & White Scrimmage on Sunday, Schröder had a menu full of options. Paul George, the dynamic All-Star forward, was moving in and out of positions along the wing, curling around screens and finding openings to receiving passes. Trailing in transition or spotting up in the corner was Patrick Patterson. The burly yet deft Steven Adams was barreling down the middle of the lane presenting a wide target. Schröder hit them all, aiding the White squad in a blowout victory over four quarters against the Blue team.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 01 October 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 28 September 2018

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img_4063Brett Dawson (The Athletic) on Patrick Patterson coming into camp in much better shape than last season: “The Thunder forward had spent much of a healthy summer out of town, but back in Oklahoma City, remnants of a previous life lingered, their expiration dates not yet passed. Tony the Tiger stared him down from a box of Frosted Flakes, tucked in a cupboard with Toast Crunch, both Cinnamon and French.”

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) on the Thunder’s desire to play faster: “Donovan knew that in order to get this style of play ingrained into the players from the get-go, it would have to be installed into five-on-five work from the very outset of camp. So while there has certainly been drill work the past few days, the team has been encouraged by the opportunities to get out there in live settings and compete with their speed-based approach. Even without Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson in action, there are still 18 players in camp that Donovan has been rotating through, making sure that newcomers and Thunder veterans alike are getting acclimated to one another.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 28 September 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 27 September 2018

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img_4063Brady Trantham (The Franchise OK) on news and notes from the second day of training camp: “When you do offensive rebound, and we’ve been a good offensive rebounding team, if Steven or whoever it is doesn’t score immediately on a putback and the ball comes back out, it’s going to be very difficult to reset the offense. We’ve got to be able to continue attacking right away, and randomly probably.”

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) says length will define the Thunder’s defense: “For now, the Thunder isn’t getting to do a ton of five-on-five work, although they did get some live work in at the end of both practices. With both Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson sidelined, the Thunder coaching staff is keeping the two backcourt stalwarts heavily involved in the mental portions of practice that will be going on all week long.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 27 September 2018 →

Thunder At A Glance – 26 September 2018

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img_4063Erik Horne (NewsOK) on the prowess of Dennis Schröder in the pick and roll and an update on Andre Roberson: “When Thunder post-practice opened to the media, Roberson was in a rotation of wing players taking catch-and-shoot 3-pointers off passes from team assistants. It wasn’t a lot of movement, but when the drill was finished, Roberson chased after a ball without running and even gave it a few kicks before corralling it.”

Grant Afseth (OKC Thunder Wire) on how the bench role could help Schröder: “The top area where Schröder will make an impact for Oklahoma City will be with his playmaking and ability to run an offense. The Thunder are used to having a high-usage guard like Westbrook in their starting unit as their focal point, and they haven’t had someone on their bench to lean on in a similar fashion. That’s where Schröder comes into play.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 26 September 2018 →