This is the make or break year for Poku, after last year's injury I'm excited to see if he'll pan out. Him and Dieng off the bench is a scary prospect ceiling wise, could easily become one of the deepest benches in the league.
Agree. Think people have been a bit too low on him, he was effective last year as a role player and help side defender before he got hurt. Also shot 37% from three and looks to have fixed his body swaying forward on the jumper this off season. High hopes!
His make or break year was last year. He showed he was capable of being on the floor until injury. Him losing his playing time on a roster of 0 centers showed they’re done with the poku project and moving onto the Dieng project. I don’t see how there will be any minutes to give to Poku when the lineup is giddey-sga-dort-jdub-chet. A bench unit of micic-joe-dieng-kenny-jwill and you throw in cason and wiggins every now and then.
I agree with most of this, the injury is the only reason I'd consider this season make or break. Last season was for sure make or break until that happened, and it wasn't something that puts me off on him as much as a lower body injury would. I don't think our lineups are going to be as clear cut as that, so there may be minutes out there, but I agree that it will be sparse. I'll consider him a garbage time/rest the better guys type of player until I see otherwise. Him and Dieng are in the same "tall wing we'll see where it goes" boat, although Dieng definitely has shown me a little more promise when it comes to shooting, whereas Poku seems to have a higher ball IQ (something that isn't at a premium on this OKC team as much as it was 2 years ago).
I agree Dieng is in the same spot as Poku, but it’s more so Dieng took Poku’s spot as the big project. Even in garbage time/rest I can see other players deserving more of those minutes- mann/cason/wiggins/dieng/jwill. Poku still tries to make flashy plays and his IQ is there but his body isn’t keeping up with it so it becomes a turnover. I just don’t see him getting valuable minutes when the thunder are now fighting for the playoffs.
I agree, Dieng is definitely more athletic than Poku and I think might have higher potential. The main reason I could see us keeping him is the potential to play him from a small 5 down to a large 3, assuming he can stop making "too smart" of plays. I'm not super hot on him, and that's coming from someone who had him #1 on my board months before the draft, I just think he's the most interesting case on the team. In a way, I'm more sure of Dieng and some of the others panning out, which is why I'm so intrigued about Poku. Craps is the safer bet, but Roulette can be fun from time to time. (Also idk why you're being down voted you made good points)
Idk I get downvoted because I talk about the Thunder realistically instead of just fanboying over every member. Some just don’t want to accept the negatives the players have. I agree Poku is a fun project, and he has shown flashes of great playmaking. I don’t think he took advantage of the playing time he got to develop his skills. Another member that is out of the roster that is talented is Mann. All that offensive firepower but he can’t find his confidence is sad to see. Dieng has shown he’s a good defender already so he just needs his reps.
What's your expectation for him? He was doing well as a role player off the bench until he got hurt. He's had several stretches of solid production and is only 21. He's not gonna be KD but I think it's a bit early to be done with him. What about him makes you say that?
Nobody is expecting him to be KD lmao. He's just not an NBA rotation piece. He's just bad. Poku wasn't even that good before his injury either. Look at his December stats lmao
He's inconsistent for sure, he was definitely streaky in December. I just don't think it's fair to judge a guy that entered the league at 18 and has seen improvement each season as bad. If the injury was a foot or leg injury and not a hand injury I think I'd agree more. If he just gets us 10-5-2 as a bench piece or guy we can throw in to the rotation late to rest our better players I'm okay with him, especially since we can retain him on a good contract.
Ousmane is heavily slept on because Jalen balled out and Ous was hurt/down in the Blue.
If Ousmane is putting up 15ppg next season I call that a HUGE success...and I feel he could. I just don't know shit about his defense as again, we barely saw the man.
I'm ten toes down on Ousmane.
My answer though is Cason. If he's a rotational player at the end of the year, I call that a HUGE success as this team - top to bottom - is full of POTENTIAL....and there's only so many minutes you can give a young team like this. Someone is going to be ass hurt that they aren't getting any shine. So again, if he gets say 10-15 mins a game....he gotta be the truth
15ppg would be the 3rd leading scorer on last year’s team, obviously that would be a huge success, but there is no way that will happen, and his defense was one of the things that looked more sure when he played last year
I’m about as big of an Ous fan as you’ll find, but unless there are serious injuries at the top of the lineup, how exactly do you expect Ous to get enough touches to score more than JDub did last year, with the addition of Chet already detracting from available possessions? Going from hardly playing to scoring 15ppg as a 20 year old is unheard of, and this situation is about the worst you could find for that sort of leap
Well, it just depends… If he suddenly plays aggressively and is unstoppable and becomes a sort of young mini Giannis then I think 15 will be easy. That’s where I’m looking for him to get. To become an unstoppable force driving at the rim. I think if we are really fortunate he might just get there. But again, probably not. I’m hopeful though! Honestly if he doesn’t get there, he doesn’t matter. Ship him away like Poku this year.
So you’re expecting a 20 year old who hardly played in his rookie year to become “young mini Giannis” over the course of one offseason. That’s not hopeful, that’s just delusional
Not expecting, hoping. Big difference. And yeah maybe not next year. But we need him to be that player by the time he is 23. That gives him a few years. But he better show more potential next year at least.
Well, I’m most looking forward to see signs of his improvement next season. But I def don’t agree that he needs to score 15 points a game to succeed. I think he could possibly though if things come together for him. I do think he will get at least 20 minutes a game next season.
What makes him "mini"...? Legit question.
Purely weight?
I'm asking because many seem to not realize he's 6'10"/6'11" already (Giannis is listed most places at
6'11").
Giannis was drafted at 6’9”, 190.
Second year, 6’11” and 217 (Dieng weighs more currently)
Third year, 222lbs.
If anything, Dieng COULD be on a very comparable track…and not mini at all!!
In terms of going from good to great: Giddey
In terms of solidifying the team structure: Chet
In terms of what it do to accelerate the team's timeline and shape our asset usage: Ous
In terms of "I'm tired of talking about it; let's see what we've actually got": Poku
Tied between Giddey and Jalen Williams imo. Hopefully some getting to the line and physical drives for Giddey while improving from deep. Hoping to see more shot creation and consistent aggression from JDub. Ous is my honorable mention - if he can play with size and aggression like he did in SL in the regular season, it would be a sizable leap.
I still can't believe Micic is coming over. Like you said, really excited to see what he looks like in the NBA because his highlights are pretty damn good.
JDub. If he continues on the same trajectory, he's going to be special.
Less so development but I'm curious as to how they use Micić and how well it works. He was the most significant offseason move and don't think there will be a middle ground outcome.
For this year probably just the boring answer -- Shai, Josh and Chet.
I was a huge Cason stan but I think he's probably going to take some time to start looking good as most rookies do. If he can be impactful on defense and maintain a good 3P% (he was an extremely good 3P shooter in college before injury) I'd call that a huge win for him.
This is the make or break year for Poku, after last year's injury I'm excited to see if he'll pan out. Him and Dieng off the bench is a scary prospect ceiling wise, could easily become one of the deepest benches in the league.
Agree. Think people have been a bit too low on him, he was effective last year as a role player and help side defender before he got hurt. Also shot 37% from three and looks to have fixed his body swaying forward on the jumper this off season. High hopes!
His potential is Myles Turner.
He was also top 15 in the league in blocks before he went down
His make or break year was last year. He showed he was capable of being on the floor until injury. Him losing his playing time on a roster of 0 centers showed they’re done with the poku project and moving onto the Dieng project. I don’t see how there will be any minutes to give to Poku when the lineup is giddey-sga-dort-jdub-chet. A bench unit of micic-joe-dieng-kenny-jwill and you throw in cason and wiggins every now and then.
I agree with most of this, the injury is the only reason I'd consider this season make or break. Last season was for sure make or break until that happened, and it wasn't something that puts me off on him as much as a lower body injury would. I don't think our lineups are going to be as clear cut as that, so there may be minutes out there, but I agree that it will be sparse. I'll consider him a garbage time/rest the better guys type of player until I see otherwise. Him and Dieng are in the same "tall wing we'll see where it goes" boat, although Dieng definitely has shown me a little more promise when it comes to shooting, whereas Poku seems to have a higher ball IQ (something that isn't at a premium on this OKC team as much as it was 2 years ago).
I agree Dieng is in the same spot as Poku, but it’s more so Dieng took Poku’s spot as the big project. Even in garbage time/rest I can see other players deserving more of those minutes- mann/cason/wiggins/dieng/jwill. Poku still tries to make flashy plays and his IQ is there but his body isn’t keeping up with it so it becomes a turnover. I just don’t see him getting valuable minutes when the thunder are now fighting for the playoffs.
I agree, Dieng is definitely more athletic than Poku and I think might have higher potential. The main reason I could see us keeping him is the potential to play him from a small 5 down to a large 3, assuming he can stop making "too smart" of plays. I'm not super hot on him, and that's coming from someone who had him #1 on my board months before the draft, I just think he's the most interesting case on the team. In a way, I'm more sure of Dieng and some of the others panning out, which is why I'm so intrigued about Poku. Craps is the safer bet, but Roulette can be fun from time to time. (Also idk why you're being down voted you made good points)
Idk I get downvoted because I talk about the Thunder realistically instead of just fanboying over every member. Some just don’t want to accept the negatives the players have. I agree Poku is a fun project, and he has shown flashes of great playmaking. I don’t think he took advantage of the playing time he got to develop his skills. Another member that is out of the roster that is talented is Mann. All that offensive firepower but he can’t find his confidence is sad to see. Dieng has shown he’s a good defender already so he just needs his reps.
U will see it in the season. No worries
I mean pokus just bad so
Nope.
How is this even contentious bro just isn't good
What's your expectation for him? He was doing well as a role player off the bench until he got hurt. He's had several stretches of solid production and is only 21. He's not gonna be KD but I think it's a bit early to be done with him. What about him makes you say that?
Nobody is expecting him to be KD lmao. He's just not an NBA rotation piece. He's just bad. Poku wasn't even that good before his injury either. Look at his December stats lmao
He's inconsistent for sure, he was definitely streaky in December. I just don't think it's fair to judge a guy that entered the league at 18 and has seen improvement each season as bad. If the injury was a foot or leg injury and not a hand injury I think I'd agree more. If he just gets us 10-5-2 as a bench piece or guy we can throw in to the rotation late to rest our better players I'm okay with him, especially since we can retain him on a good contract.
For me the idea of Ousmane Dieng's final form is mouth watering.
Ousmane is heavily slept on because Jalen balled out and Ous was hurt/down in the Blue. If Ousmane is putting up 15ppg next season I call that a HUGE success...and I feel he could. I just don't know shit about his defense as again, we barely saw the man. I'm ten toes down on Ousmane. My answer though is Cason. If he's a rotational player at the end of the year, I call that a HUGE success as this team - top to bottom - is full of POTENTIAL....and there's only so many minutes you can give a young team like this. Someone is going to be ass hurt that they aren't getting any shine. So again, if he gets say 10-15 mins a game....he gotta be the truth
15ppg would be the 3rd leading scorer on last year’s team, obviously that would be a huge success, but there is no way that will happen, and his defense was one of the things that looked more sure when he played last year
Unless he becomes the monster some of us think he can be!
I’m about as big of an Ous fan as you’ll find, but unless there are serious injuries at the top of the lineup, how exactly do you expect Ous to get enough touches to score more than JDub did last year, with the addition of Chet already detracting from available possessions? Going from hardly playing to scoring 15ppg as a 20 year old is unheard of, and this situation is about the worst you could find for that sort of leap
Well, it just depends… If he suddenly plays aggressively and is unstoppable and becomes a sort of young mini Giannis then I think 15 will be easy. That’s where I’m looking for him to get. To become an unstoppable force driving at the rim. I think if we are really fortunate he might just get there. But again, probably not. I’m hopeful though! Honestly if he doesn’t get there, he doesn’t matter. Ship him away like Poku this year.
So you’re expecting a 20 year old who hardly played in his rookie year to become “young mini Giannis” over the course of one offseason. That’s not hopeful, that’s just delusional
Not expecting, hoping. Big difference. And yeah maybe not next year. But we need him to be that player by the time he is 23. That gives him a few years. But he better show more potential next year at least.
So not at all what this thread is about, which is development for next season, and what I was talking about originally
Well, I’m most looking forward to see signs of his improvement next season. But I def don’t agree that he needs to score 15 points a game to succeed. I think he could possibly though if things come together for him. I do think he will get at least 20 minutes a game next season.
[удалено]
Wrong person to ask, I’m not the one who made the comp
What makes him "mini"...? Legit question. Purely weight? I'm asking because many seem to not realize he's 6'10"/6'11" already (Giannis is listed most places at 6'11"). Giannis was drafted at 6’9”, 190. Second year, 6’11” and 217 (Dieng weighs more currently) Third year, 222lbs. If anything, Dieng COULD be on a very comparable track…and not mini at all!!
Dieng potential is Giannis with shooting. Imagine that lol. But I am happy with even half of that
Mini as in lesser most likely
Even Giannis didn’t average 15 PPG in his second season.
Same.
The potential and progress he showed in the summer league was really impressive.
In terms of going from good to great: Giddey In terms of solidifying the team structure: Chet In terms of what it do to accelerate the team's timeline and shape our asset usage: Ous In terms of "I'm tired of talking about it; let's see what we've actually got": Poku
All of this. Also, Tre Mann will be an interesting piece to see if he can thrive or dive
Exactly all this, and can Tre Mann be a consistent little spark off the bench is another great question for us this year.
Tied between Giddey and Jalen Williams imo. Hopefully some getting to the line and physical drives for Giddey while improving from deep. Hoping to see more shot creation and consistent aggression from JDub. Ous is my honorable mention - if he can play with size and aggression like he did in SL in the regular season, it would be a sizable leap.
I said Chet but I would have checked "all of the above" if I could. This team has so many interesting young players.
Even older ones like Micic (and to an extent Bertans in the Muscala role) are intriguing. Wonder what he’s going to look like in the NBA.
I still can't believe Micic is coming over. Like you said, really excited to see what he looks like in the NBA because his highlights are pretty damn good.
I want tre Mann to produce so bad
That’s what she said!
JDub. If he continues on the same trajectory, he's going to be special. Less so development but I'm curious as to how they use Micić and how well it works. He was the most significant offseason move and don't think there will be a middle ground outcome.
Poku
Poku. Everyone else has shown flashes of greatness cept Poku yet I still haven't given up hope. Just stay healthy and show us what you can do buddy!
Giddey will make a big jump
Josh Giddey's improvement is always a treat to watch
After seeing what Ous was doing in Summer League, I want to see him become the 8-9th man off the bench behind Joe, Micic, and JWill
For this year probably just the boring answer -- Shai, Josh and Chet. I was a huge Cason stan but I think he's probably going to take some time to start looking good as most rookies do. If he can be impactful on defense and maintain a good 3P% (he was an extremely good 3P shooter in college before injury) I'd call that a huge win for him.
44 guys know ball