Taking Count: How Much Stock Should you put in Jaylen Hoard’s Recent Stretch?

A look at whether Jaylen Hoard's recent play is a fluke or a sign of things to come.

The Thunder roster has gone through quite a bit of churn over the last month.

From interchanging two-way contracts to a barrage of 10-day contracts, the team that played the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday was hardly recognizable from the one that played the Milwaukee Bucks exactly one month prior.

Only two players (Vit Krejci and Isaiah Roby) from that March 8 rotation featured in OKC’s penultimate game of the 2021-22 season — a 120-101 loss.

While most of the roster change has occurred with the reverse standings in mind, that doesn’t mean that players on the court have taken their foot off the pedal — even if it has resulted in a few unexpected “wins”.

Jaylen Hoard is the best example of this phenomenon. Hoard (6-8, 215) signed a 10-day contract with OKC on April 1 via the NBA’s Hardship Allowance but Hoard certainly hasn’t taken his opportunity as a joke.

This isn’t Hoard’s first time with OKC. In fact, this isn’t even his first time with OKC this season. Hoard was a COVID-19 replacement for the turn of the new year — featuring in one game.

In his current stint, Hoard has averaged 17.8 points and 13.4 rebounds in five games. The question is is this a result of playing time (38.5 mpg) or is there something legitimate here? Something worthy, perhaps, of a two-way or full-roster contract next season.

One thing is for sure, Hoard’s rebounding ability is legitimate. Hoard ranks fourth in the NBA in rebounds per game since signing his deal — trailing Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid. He also ranks third in offensive rebounds over that span. Put that together with 55% from the field and 42% from three on 3.8 attempts and you might just have something.

The key to all of this is keeping things in perspective. This is undeniably a small sample size and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Hoard will have one final game, Sunday against the Clippers, to show Thunder brass what he can offer. The Thunder will likely have a lot of moving parts this offseason, so it remains to be seen how many roster spots will be available, but with this recent stretch Hoard has certainly shown that some team would be wise to give him an extended look this summer. 

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