OKC Thunder Summer League Game #1 Recap

OKC Thunder Summer League Results

Oklahoma City faced off against Cade Cunningham and the Pistons in their first Summer League Game. The boys in blue and orange managed to stifle Cunningham (5-17 FG, five TO’s) and escape with a close win, winning 76-72. Detroit has a very good up and coming core so this win is eye-popping. Theo Maledon had a very good game along with some help from the others.

Theo Maledon – Grade: A

Maledon had himself a nice game with a 15 point, 11 assist double-double. It wasn’t all beautiful, however as he shot just 4-11 from the field and almost fouled out with five fouls. He also didn’t have any defensive stats but that’s not important. He led his team to a win and because of that, he gets an A-graded performance as he led his team in points and assists. He looked very energetic out there and he also very careful with the rock (11 assists compared to only two turnovers). He had five rebounds including two offensive boards as well. He had a very good game leading his offense so the next game will be fun to watch.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – Grade: A+

Earl was everywhere on Sunday, accounting for 14 points, six boards, two steals and a block. He also shot an efficient 6-12 from the field and had a three-pointer. He was all over the court and was very disruptive overall. He was very energetic and looked like a man amongst boys, honestly. He made a couple of very nice passes and he was able to showcase his range, taking three shots from downtown. His offensive skillset is similar to John Collins as he had a good shooting stroke and is a high-flyer. The defensive awareness is reminiscent of Draymond Green. His IQ was off the charts as he was disrupting passing lanes and playing great on-ball defense on Cunningham. His next game should be a good one so all eyes are on him.

Aaron Wiggins – Grade: A

Wiggins had himself a good game off the bench. He was the spark plug they needed and finished with a 13 points, five boards, a dime and three steals. He shot a cool 6-11 from the field and his three steals were evidence that he was playing some disruptive defense as well. His only bugaboos were that he turned the rock over four times, missed both threes and one of two from the line. He had himself a great game off the bench so his next game should allow him to see more opportunity.

Josh Giddey and Tre Mann – Grades: Injured & C

Giddey looked to be aggressive on offense as he had a nice driving dunk 13 seconds into the game. He unfortunately missed his next two shots and eventually injured his ankle while driving to the basket. Ruled out for the rest of the game, he wasn’t able to showcase his skills. Mann had a rough go as he shot just 3-14 from the field and had no assists to go with two turnovers. He also missed all four of his threes. Mann ended his night with a mediocre six points, three boards, a steal and a block. Hopefully Giddey comes back for the next one so he’s able to show why he was a lottery pick and hopefully Mann can get it together and put on a better performance.