Inside The Thunder

NBA Summer League: OKC Thunder Recap

Though their five NBA Summer League games, the Oklahoma City Thunder went 2-3 and showed quite a bit of promise.

Nick Crain

After a year off from NBA Summer League, young players around the league had the chance to perform in their first summer event. For the Thunder, this meant all four of their new rookies along with second-year players Theo Maledon and Josh Hall and many others.

Full Roster: Thunder Summer League

The four rookies Oklahoma City selected in last month's draft including Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins were set to make their NBA debuts.

The Thunder would go on to play five games over ten days, finishing with a 2-3 record. They ultimately won their first and last game, but lost all three in the middle.

OKC had some bad luck along the way, losing both of their recent first-round picks as well as their summer league head coach within the first couple of games for various reasons.

When it was all said and done, Robinson-Earl was the best player on the Thunder roster in summer league. While he doesn't have the most flashy style of play, he was by far the most consistent player on the roster and showed that he might be the most NBA-ready player of the group.

Looking back, all five of the Thunder's summer league contests provided different insights and things to think about heading into training camp.

Thunder 76, Pistons 72

Sunday, August 8

Top Performer: Theo Maledon

  • 15 Points
  • 11 Assists
  • 5 Rebounds

Game Recap:

This was one of the most anticipated matchups of summer league, as Giddey was set to face off against the top pick in Cade Cunningham. However, Giddey injured his ankle just five minutes into the game and would miss the remainder of OKC's contests.

Although they were down early, the Thunder came back to pull of the win on the back of Maledon. A primary starter as a rookie for Oklahoma City last season, it looked like he might have taken a huge step during the offseason and could become a major contributor going forward.

Thunder 65, Pelicans 80

Wednesday, August 11

Top Performer: Tre Mann

  • 12 Points
  • 7 Assists
  • 6 Rebounds

Game Recap:

Mann looked excellent in his second summer league game, flirting with a triple-double, although he didn't shoot efficiently. Wiggins also looked solid with a team-high 16 points, showing that he could be a steal of a second-round pick.

This was the first full game in which the Thunder played without Giddey and the offense looked static. This time around, Maledon wasn't able to carry the team to victory as Oklahoma City lost their first matchup of the summer.

Thunder 84, Warriors 94

Friday, August 13

Top Performer: Rob Edwards

  • 23 Points
  • 4 Rebounds
  • 53.3 3P%

Game Recap:

Prior to this matchup, it was announced that Mann would miss the remainder of NBA Summer League. This was shocking news, as he became the second Thunder first rounder set to miss time. Additionally, Grant Gibbs had to step away from the team due to Health and Safety Protocols, leaving Kameron Woods as the temporary coach the rest of the way.

Without their two top prospects, OKC pushed forward, getting a ton of production out of Edwards. It was a close, competitive matchup but the Warriors ultimately pulled away late.

READ MORE:

Summer League Journal: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Part 2

Top Performers from Oklahoma City's 95-61 Loss to the Pacers

Thunder 61, Pacers 95

Saturday, August 14

Top Performer: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

  • 13 Points
  • 10 Rebounds
  • 2 Assists

Game Recap:

Against the Pacers, the Thunder came out pretty flat. In fact, they lost control of the game fairly early and were never able to pull back within striking distance.

Scoring only 61 points as a team, there weren't many player statistics that jumped off the page. However, on what was an ugly night, Robinson-Earl was once again the consistent, steady performer that the Thunder front office saw all week.

Thunder 116, Spurs 91

Monday, August 16

Top Performer: Rob Edwards

  • 23 Points
  • 0 Turnovers
  • 50.0 3P%

Game Recap:

In their final game of summer league, the Thunder came out and played their best game of the five. With one final chance for players to showcase their skills, Oklahoma City got production from the top to the bottom of the roster. 

Edwards exploded offensively, giving the Thunder a huge boost in the third quarter to secure the win. This was the best way the team could have concluded their summer, finishing on a very positive note heading into training camp.

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Nick Crain
NICK CRAIN

Nick has spent the last four seasons covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and has grown quickly in the media since starting. He’s continued to produce Thunder content through writing for Forbes.com and podcasting with The Uncontested Podcast, as well as branching out to cover the NBA as a whole for SLAM Online.

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