Oklahoma City Thunder Pre-Season Player Grades

There are a lot of players who have had a great pre-season so far. Others have had a tough going. Either way, this list will be grading several random players from the pre-season. Who performed well and who had a sloppy showing? This list will go over just that.

Josh Giddey – Grade: A

Giddey has looked the part of a lottery pick for this club. He has put up some nice stat-lines as the starting point guard and he has shown everyone his exceptional around-around skillset. This pre-season, he has shown OKC fans what the man is capable of. Giddey put up averages of 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 52% from the field, 40% from three and 57% from the line. The only problem with his stats are the lack of defensive stats (0.3 steals, 0.0 blocks a game) and his free throw shooting (57% on 1.8 attempts a game). Despite the lack of peripheral stats and poor free-throw shooting, Giddey has looked phenomenal. OKC fans were robbed of his Summer League but now that he’s healthy and showing off his skills, the regular season can’t come soon enough.

Scottie Barnes – Grade: B+

Barnes hasn’t looked like that polished offensive threat just yet. However, his all-around game is very fun to watch. He put averages of 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks a game on 47% from the field and 71% from the line. His three-point shooting woes were a major focal point of his Pre Season (missing all eight attempts in five games). If he can clean up his offense, his stats could look a lot better. The absence of Pascal Siakam and Chris Boucher will help him gain more playing time. More playing time could definitely help him learn from his mistakes.

Josh Christopher – Grade: A

Christopher hasn’t been given a whole lot of playing time but he has definitely shown flashes. In only 14 minutes a game, he put up averages of 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks a game on a scorching 55% from the field, 33% from three and 80% from the line. Christopher exploded in his limited minutes and is a reason they won against Washington. He has looked very explosive and looks to have solidified a potential role in the rotation this year. Coach Silas has to be pleased with what he has seen with the 19 year old rookie. Expect Christopher to garner some early season minutes and beyond.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – Grade: D+

Earl has looked lost in this years Pre-Season. He has put up appalling averages of 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and .8 steals on 23% from the field, 13% from three and 67% from the line. The minutes weren’t kind to him at only 17.7 minutes a game, but he didn’t light it up when playing those minutes. It’ll be tough to see how his role is this year based on this, however. Hopefully he just managed to have a hiccup in those games and he’s ready to role once the regular season begins on Wednesday. Earl won’t be this bad so expect him to work on his mistakes between now and Wednesday.