Next Man Up: Who Will Step Up In Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander's Absence?
Next man up mentality.
Ever since the Oklahoma City Thunder hit a hard reset two seasons ago, Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault has stressed the importance of staying ready. From sliding forwards to the five, handing team-leading minutes to a second-round pick, and rolling out a hodgepodge of G League pieces and youngsters as starters – the Thunder have been through the mill of rotations.
Oklahoma City’s biggest hurdle came last season, as after a 16-19 start to the season, a significant case of plantar fasciitis sidelined Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the remainder of the year. In his place, the Thunder hobbled to a 6-31 record, lacing in youth-infused lineups while offloading veterans.
Now, 48 games into the season, the injury bug has hit Bricktown’s star yet again, as Gilgeous-Alexander will be out past the trade deadline indefinitely with a right ankle sprain. The injury will remove the 23-year-old from the team’s next 10 games.
A 10-game removal will place an evident dent into the Thunder’s rotation, as with Gilgeous-Alexander playing primary ball-handler off a league-high 24.1 drives and a statline of 22.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists – Oklahoma City could fumble into an identity.
Despite this, the next man up mentality will stay ripe in Bricktown, and for Daigneault – the options will be endless.
Josh Giddey
Sarah Phipps / The Oklahoman
In the group of potential standouts, look no further than first-round pick Josh Giddey to take on the heavy load. In Giddey’s rookie campaign, the 19-year-old has remained cool as a ball-handler, trailing only No. 1 Pick Cade Cunningham in rookie leaders in drives with 12.2 per game.
The Aussie has played well above his draft class starring as a decision maker off of high-ball screens while garnering awes from the audience consistently with cross-court passes, no-look kick outs, and jaw dropping bounce passes off of drives. Giddey’s playmaking has stayed constant through 43 games as he’s posted a rookie-high 6.1 assists per game while eclipsing 10 assists on five separate occasions.
It would not be Giddey’s first rodeo as the top distributor if he absorbs SGA’s gig. Across three games without the guard, the Aussie has placed season-best averages 17.0 points, 9 rebounds, and 10.0 assists across 33.7 minutes. Atop his trio of performances, the rookie has made history against the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to post a triple-double, dropping 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists across play. Best of all, he splurged out with a mere two turnovers in the stretch.
With the Thunder’s primary ball-handler, in Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence, now set in place – Daigneault will have a bevy of options to source secondary production.
Tre Mann
Daniel Dunn / USA Today
In the thick of potential minute boosters, first-round pick Tre Mann could see his once bench role transform into a nightly routine of starting-caliber minutes. After months of feeling out competition for minutes, Mann is fresh off of averaging 20-plus minutes in December while tacking on 19.3 minutes in the month of January.
Mann has dabbled into the starting lineup with the Thunder on multiple occasions, combining for three starts, including a start in the franchise’s last game versus the Pacers. In Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence in the last game, the 20-year-old stepped up to clock his largest minute output of the calendar year.
The guard’s microwave-Esque play sets Mann apart from the pack of available guards as his elite stepback move coupled with a wide net of dribble combinations places him in a slew of open shots off the dribble across all three-levels. To add to the rookie’s resume, his work off of high-ball screens has yielded efficient runners at the rim and contact finishes.
Mann’s shot-making ability puts himself on the map in terms of top secondary options, and given the franchise’s rebuilding blueprint – allowing a microwave player such as the 6-foot-5 guard to fetch minutes would be right up his alley.
As for tertiary options to place a backcourt bandage, look towards second-year members in the franchise such as Ty Jerome and Theo Maledon to fully cinch the gap.
Ty Jerome
Ken Blaze / USA Today
Ty Jerome was the surprise out of the Thunder’s early season positional battle as after weeks of back-and-forth battles, he locked down a spot within the rotation. Jerome’s hybrid ability of both playing on-the-ball as a distributor and playing off-the-ball as a spot-up shooter has molded the 24-year-old into a trusty option off the bench. With this, expect the former Cavalier to net a 20-minute role similar to that of last season.
On the opposing corner, former minute-leader Maledon has been in an uphill battle to break into the rotation. With Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence – he’s fetched an opportunity. After a star-studded stint on the OKC Blue, Maledon returned to the Thunder earlier in the week to face the Pacers. The Frenchman’s previous 27.4-minute role is farfetched at this present time; but he should earn consistent minutes as the fourth option.
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