In a press conference held today, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault announced that Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, Al Horford, and Justin Jackson will be active for Wednesday’s game vs. the Chicago Bulls.
This leaves the Thunder with the Thunder with 16 players on their active roster, as their are still 4 of the 20 members of the team out for various reasons.
These players are:
- Darius Miller
- Josh Hall
- Ty Jerome
- Trevor Ariza
These absences are detrimental to all for players involved, but especially to Josh Hall and Ty Jerome. Josh Hall, age 19, agreed to a two-way contract with the team in November and has yet to play for the team. The UDFA out of Moravian Prep School (located in Hickory, North Carolina) possesses a unique skillset for his frame. At 6’9″ 190 lbs. Hall has great ball handling and athleticism inside, with also showing flashes of being able to shoot the ball. Playing preseason with the Thunder would give Hall the opportunity to show off why he deserves a full-scale rookie contract. Although he could be cleared for the team’s final preseason game, getting multiple games under your belt would’ve been a great learning experience.
As for Ty Jerome, he’s entered the preseason with something to prove. Jerome, the 24 year old point guard out of Virginia, is just one year removed from being selected in the 1st round by the Phoenix Suns. He wound up in Oklahoma City after being shipped off in the offseason deal that sent CP3 to Phoenix, for Kelly Oubre, picks, and other players. Jerome entered training camp being one of 5 point guards scavenging to find minutes with the team (SGA, George Hill, Frank Jackson, Theo Maledon.) With both Maledon and Jackson impressing in the opener, they will most likely be looked upon to play a big role on Wednesday. If they both can stay at the same level, Jerome may lose out on key minutes without even being able to play. Jerome has shown to be a great passer and shooter prior to joining the team, I’d expect him to play big minutes if he is cleared for Friday’s game.
Current Roster Heading into Wednesday’s Game
Point Guards: Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, George Hill, Frank Jackson, Theo Maledon
Shooting Guards: Luguentz Dort, Hamidou Diallo, Admiral Schofield
Small Forwards: Isaiah Roby, Justin Jackson, Kenrich Williams
Power Forwards: Darius Bazely, Aleksej Pokusevski T.J. Leaf,
Centers: Al Horford, Mike Muscala, Moses Brown
Expectations
With these additions, expect to see diminished roles with players such as Muscala, T.J. Leaf, Kenrich Williams, and seeing Roby playing at the 4 and 5.