Tre Mann shines with the Hornets, Bismack Biyombo and Gordon Hayward’s Role, NBA All-Star Preview

Tre Mann shines with the Hornets, Bismack Biyombo and Gordon Hayward’s Role, NBA All-Star Preview

On today’s lockon Thunder podcast we’re talking about the Oklahoma City Thunder at the All-Star break answering your mailbag questions Trey man and the C me playing so well for Charlotte does it matter should you overreact what does it all mean plus rotations and more you are locked on Thunder your daily Oklahoma

City Thunder podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day let’s get it going on the lockdown Thunder podcast on lockdown podcast Network your team every day I am your host media member and inside the thunder.com beat riter Ryland Styles follow me on Twitter at

Ryland Styles follow the show on Twitter L thunderpod email the show L thunderpod gmail.com well today’s show is your show it’s mailback podcast we’re going to answer all of your questions about the Thunder and about uh just life in general in some cases we’re also going to preview MLB Allstar Weekend where God

Willing I’ll be at should we survive the uh the 10-hour Trek up to Indianapolis Indiana very excited for that cannot wait for it going to be a lot of great content hopefully coming out uh with YouTube shorts which was really really big for us last year during this time on

Twitter especially at randor Styles and also uh on inside the thunder.com plus we’re going to be run a really lot of cool people there boots on the ground coverage there so uh who knows what we might get into with all the cool people hanging out at Allstar Weekend but we’re

Going to answer your questions today especially to start the show in char Char Cohen asks a question that launches us into what I think is a much uh needed conversation and he says that if you’re an OKC fan how can you not root for Trey and meic this is a question that I’m

Again using to springboard into a separate conversation yes you should absolutely be rooting for vasil meic and Trey man uh and if you want to Davis pons too Davis Pon you know you want to see them succeed the team wants to see them succeed everybody wants to see

Those two guys have success at their next stop what you shouldn’t do is you shouldn’t overreact to what we’re seeing now I’ve been a massive proponent of playing Trey man more minutes I’ve talked the entire season about how much he’s gotten better from watching him at practices to uh watching

His garbage time minutes and overanalyzing the garbage time minutes because that’s what we do we break down the the blowout games we break down the g-league games we break down all of it so you know I’ve been a huge proponent of playing Trey man but the bottom line

Is the thunder didn’t see it that way and the Thunder didn’t didn’t agree with that so Trey man while he’s had an amazing three- game stretch in Charlotte and I hope that that continues because the Vibes in Charlotte are spectacular the Hornets are fun to watch for the

First time since the PK Administration like this is awesome for Charlotte it’s awesome for Trey man who has had many supporters Inside the NBA inside of Oklahoma City I mean Damen Lillard uh has has has crowned him as one of the guys who was going to pop at his next

Destination that’s looking you know really good right now that prediction is but do not go too far with the reaction to Trey man playing so well because it was never going to happen in Oklahoma City right wrong or indifferent the Thunder are not going to play Trey man that became

Increasingly obvious over this season they don’t view him as a fit for their style of basketball there’s no other way to put it like there’s no other you know excuses to make or or company lines to give they clearly don’t don’t view him as a player who could fit inside this

Construct they view him as a great person a great teammate you know a a good individual basketball player it’s just not the right fit it’s not you it’s me type of thing in Oklahoma City but make no mistake everybody knew that he was capable of this it’s why that he had

So many supporters in this team in this town and across the NBA but it was never going to happen in Oklahoma City so on one aspect of it it’s a case where you just have to say you know continue to root for Trey Mann but it’s best for

Both sides that this happen it’s best for Trey man because look what he’s doing now that he’s starting and playing actual consistent minutes he got exactly what he needed out of the trade deadline and it’s good for Oklahoma City who isn’t going to reap the rewards of this transaction until the earliest that

Clippers game next week but they improve their roster with a player who they think can fit their system and they at least will put into basketball games so it’s great that tryan’s you know lighting it up it’s good that that MIT looks looks you know good and really me

Just looks the same he did in Oklahoma City uh in in the month of January only he’s doing it for Charlotte now but uh he was another guy who you have severe question marks of if you know he could play at the NBA level in the postseason given uh defensively especially and if

The shots aren’t falling uh could he play in the postseason you get a guy in Gordon Hayward who you just feel much more comfortable can play in the postseason in the meantime everybody else gets their um you know win-win scenario MIT gets consistent minutes to to adapt to the NBA Trey man gets

Consistent minutes to show that he is a really legitimately good NBA player um and you know I don’t want to go too far with the three- game sample size I I don’t think that he’s a you know a for sure starter on a good team necessarily

But I think that he is um a a really good rotational player at the at the minimum uh and and could be a really high-end swing starter and that’s the term used a lot in baseball but a really good player who uh you know like a like

A dentist type if you want to go there with Dennis Schroeder like you love to have him as your six-man you know leading that secondary group as as a lead guard and if you run into some injury luck like you know an injury bad luck like he’s going to be someone who

You don’t feel like it’s all doom and gloom if you have to thrust him in the starting lineup I think that’s what he can become he’s got a long ways to go this is’s only three games but I can I can know since the comparison sake or or

Since the oh did the thunder make the wrong decision here thing and what it comes down to is you’ve got to judge the Thunder decision at the time of the trade and with the context of what would have happened so there’s one reality where the don’t make that trade and they keep

Tray man they keep meic they keep that was Bon and those guys continue to not play in the playoffs they are a non-factor and the Thunder do not play them at all they don’t get to pop off they don’t get to show that they’re NBA players and

The Thunder don’t get additions to this roster on the other hand they made the trade where go go prove yourself Trey man go prove yourself Mees they’re all rooting for you but the Thunder get a player in return who they feel way more confident can play for them and so

You’ve got to in that aspect versus just oh look T had a really great game in the box score and a really great game you know watching him play and he did all those electric scoring things that everyone knew he could the biggest thing for Trey man is that the defense uh to

This point has truly improved like like I pointed this out in the Houston game whenever he got in his only game for the Thunder this year in non-garbage time where he looked really good defensively and I asked Mark about that uh at that practice the next day of how much better

He looked defensively against Houston and Mark agreed that like he’s made a step defensively and to see it translate to these three games where he’s playing U you know starting games and he’s and he’s still playing better defense that’s a vastly encouraging sign for this being like repeatable and actually this being

Not some just flash in the pan stretch his improved playmaking has carried over from garbage time it’s all been repeatable from what he’s seen in garbage time he’s just getting a longer leash to show it and we all knew that that was going to be the case at least

If you listen to lock down Thunder you did so again it’s great for them root for them but also judge the trade in the context that it’s meant to be judged in because right wrong Ori those guys were never Trey man specifically was never going to play this way in Oklahoma City

Because he wasn’t gonna get the play like he wasn’t G to get the play the Thunder aren’t going to run the same style uh it just was not going to work out so hopefully for him he continues this I think he will I think that he’ll

That you’ll look back at trayman and see that he’s an incredibly valuable player in the NBA but there’s also other incredibly valuable players in the NBA who would not perform the way they’re performing right now in Oklahoma City for this team for this style of play for this coach

And sometimes there just aren’t you know great marriages this was a case where it wasn’t a good marriage this was a case where you need a divorce right still love each other still love each other still G to talk still going to be friends but give the ring back and move

On you know put the pictures away wonder where you’ve been I could really do some Cheryl Crow right now but I’ll save your eard drums I can’t promise that there won’t be singing in the future this show uh Friday Wednesday I should say was a much

Much Heavy Music Show uh but at least for now I’ll save you I’ll spare you now Allstar Weekend little little Mickey Ultras lockdown karaoke might happen but it won’t happen this segment it could happen next segment you have to wait to find out speaking of we’re going to

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Apply we’re back on the lockdown Thunder podcast on the lockdown podcast Network your teams every day thank you so much for making us your first listen every single morning every single day we’re here for you taking Thunder basketball this is your mailbag podcast plus we’re going to preview Allstar Weekend but

Let’s talk from OKC orbr Hoops they say what are the chances and fit of Cody Williams on the thunder so I just wrote about Cody Williams on draft digest.com also tweeted out the link to the article you can go and read about him I love Cody Williams I think that with a larger

Sample size you know as long as he can played on the stretch he’s had some you know injury history this this season for Colorado as long as he can play down the stretch of this year and especially the draft combine I think that he will separate himself from this class you

Know and draft combine used Loosely you know players in his range sometimes don’t participate in the draft combine especially not fully but as a as a catch-all term for pre-draft workouts and interviews I think that he will really climb and separate himself from the top of this draft because you know

This draft class make no mistake about it it’s not a good draft class at all um you know it’s it’s it’s tough to imagine with how Global the game is with you know how how talented players are that it’s as bad and as dire as it seems on

The surface it’s going to take a lot of work to find the players and what would Doom what will Doom this draft class in totality like as an overall entity will be how impatient franchises are and how a lot of franchises are not set up the

Way that the Thunder R the Thunder are set up perfectly for development at the G League level but they’re one of the only few teams who truly um understand how valuable the g- league is and Mark talked about like even internally even Inside the NBA that the g- league can be

An invisible League even Inside the NBA walls without that structure and that and that kind of uh facilitation for development a lot of these prospects are going to go to the way of the dodo bird a lot of these prospects who need time in an imp patient microwave NBA will go

The way the glass bottle milk it’ll be over so that is against the draft class the draft class is not strong at the top like there’s no Zion Kade Cunningham paano Chad holgren there’s none of those guys in this draft VI there there’s none of these guys in this

Draft so it loses its its appeal because of that for for the majority of the uh NBA and basketball audience there is no just just hit your wagon 2 Bonafide star and there is no oh this is going to be the next so and so Superstar but I also just cannot get

Around to there’s not a there’s not a single good player here and of course that’s a little bit disingenuous but there’s not there’s not 60 good players in the world who are eligible for the draft in 2024 you know so I don’t think it’s as bad as people say but it is bad

Especially relative to what we’re what we’ve seen to this point in the last couple of drafts and what we’re going to see in 25 and 26 and all the way out I mean there’s high schoolers who if they were eligible for this draft you know they would they would go

Top five they’d go you know number one of course of your Cooper flag but back to Cody Williams I think he’s the best player in this draft uh you know I’ve been back and forth with him and Alex SAR conveniently enough both of them brothers on the Thunder uh but Cody

Williams just has everything you could look for from a player and when you watch him he understands how to use his frame on both ends of the floor defensively go watch him blow up screens he guys are shooting 0 for 10 against Cody Williams on defense whenever they’re shooting off

Of screens that’s a low sample size only 10 shots but it’s not as though they’re 10 shots where oh the shot just didn’t go in they’re 10 shots because he understands how to anticipate screens and get over them he has the length to to disrupt your open looks and he just

Deters shots as a as a jump shooter which is good and it’s a hard skill to have defensively he’s versatile can switch he runs the floor insanely well he has a little bit of playmaking feel but his ability to create for you know the shot for himself is already there uh

His dribbling can get high at times a little bit but what’s good about him is that he can flip the switch really quickly of if if a Defender is coming up on him he’s able to get lower to the ground and and knife through the defense

You might run into a problem where like if you can’t see the defense and thus anticipate it you might be able to pick his pocket a little bit smoother his jump shot is slow however the release point is so high that I I have trouble believing

That it’ll be a problem in the NBA because it’s not as though it’s like Kyle Anderson slow obviously there’s no real hitch to it it’s just not the most lightning quick thing in the world and because his release point is so high he’s gonna be able to shoot over the top

Of Defenders and they’re not going to be able to block them so I don’t really have a problem with it and like I said he’s really good in the rim uh at the rim and if he can uh continue to grow in the mid-range and he’s been a really

Good pick and roll ball handler to this point if he can carry over those things to the NBA he’s a guy who um I don’t think has Superstar written all over him I’m not sure that he’ll make an All-Star team but he’s a guy who will be in the

Hall of very good where like you just know he’s a very good player but um might not get those accolades not to put a ceiling on him because I think he could get there and I’ll tell you this if I was gonna hitch my wagon to somebody to get there you’d go you’d

Have to put Cody you know in the upper Resturant of that conversation uh but he can be an offensive engine for a team while playing you know top being a top two three defender on your team there’s not many if any other players in this draft that I would say

That about so I think that he has a chance to separate himself from the draft class where he’s just not even in the roomm of possibility for the Thunder at their current selections now there’s always the talk about uh giving away this Godfather offer and uh and trading up in the draft and

Oh Sam pry he can he can go trade for any player that he wants to he’ve been doing this for a long time about this whole you know Godfather offer in the draft the bottom line is the the draft trades specifically are less about like overwhelming teams with draft picks and

More about can I get my guy still while you get your guy and that becomes harder and harder as the draft gets set you look back at the Kade Cunningham draft you look back at um you know the dra the Josh giddy draft uh which was the Kate

Hingham draft I apologize for being an idiot um but you know the Thunder fell to six which is the worst possible spot because there’s a view as a four- player draft after after the kaminga stuff cooled off and you could not guarantee any of those of those people that they’d

Get their guy if Detroit goes from one to six they’re not getting their guy if Houston goes from from two to six they’re not getting their guy and so on and so forth now where you make draft day deals is in Atlanta and Dallas Atlanta their guy was Trey young

They understood they couldn’t take Trey young at three but they could take him at five and it would be reasonable while picking up additional ass set and the Mavs their guy was always always always LCA donic so they were able to go make a trade for him so that’s where draft day

Trades are made so it sounds great to just you know say that the Thunder could make a god father offer for anybody else you know anybody they want to uh and especially in the draft you know come draft time but the fall from 1 to 10 you’re not getting your guy you’re not

Getting uh those prospects who you’ve circled the argument for this draft class specifically and I don’t think that TR you Cody Williams will for sure go W that’s just kind of a you know where I would have him personally the argument for this draft class specifically is if the Thunder viewed

Cody Williams is just this perfect incredible fit that they wanted to give up multiple picks would it be worth in a draft class where you know you’re not you’re not just over the moon soul on anyone specifically and there’s not just this uh massive star out there taking a guy you like right

Taking a guy that you’re fine with or above fine with for the sake of getting additional capital in draft classes that you know project to be much better so that is something you have to wait to U but overall I don’t think that you know as

Much as it be fun it’d be incredibly fun I think that Cody Williams has played so well that he will not be in the Thunder draft range and draft day trades are hard even though they have a billion first- round picks and a billion uh picks in general draft a trades are

Still very hard to climb the ladder that far now if my evaluation is wrong which it could be uh that that that Cody Williams will go in the top five then it becomes more realistic because again in in a draft where there’s no consensus board the evaluations of these guys can

Be all over the place the evaluations of these guys can be um every team has a different board and some guy’s top 10 player like a top 10 player on some guys draft board might be undraftable on other on other teams that’s how violent I think this draft will be so if Cody

Williams ends up nestling around that you know eight to to you know 15 draft range and that’s where he stays consistently even after the combat even after the first rounds of workouts interviews then it becomes more realistic so it’s really going to come down to where his draft range is at for

Me personally if I were in this draft class his draft range should be un obtainable for OKC um but you never know I’ve been wrong many times before shout out Darius basley who I’m going to get to see this weekend uh which we’re going to talk

About more coming up at the uh at the G League next up game now there’s been questions about the role for bismack bambo and Gordon Hayward I want to give a shout out to Retro Dash who asked uh that question and also a shout out to

Lrb Witcher and also Kev fluffle who all asked about bismack bomo and Gord ORD Hayward um with this team um Kev fluffle asked a more overarching question which we’re GNA get to you know later but uh YouTu specifically asked about you know their rotations for the Thunder me and Michael Martin talked

About that a lot on Thursday so we can let that conversation speak for itself but I do think that for Gordon Hayward he’ll have a a huge role come playoff time uh he could be in closing lineups for the Thunder he is C he certainly will be one of the best Thunder bench

Scores especially in those in those quarters of the second fourth quarter for OKC so you know start of the fourth quarter for OKC so I think they have a huge role now bisak bomo I think that he’s a player who uh is a break glass in

Case of emergency in the sense of if there’s a matchup where they are overwhelming you with size and you have to do something you now can whereas before the addition of bis bio if they were just overwhelming with size you would just throw your hands up and say

Well kind of tough there’s not much we can do here right so you at least now have the option and I know that he’s only 68 but you have to look into uh the wingspan and the weight of him where he’s he’s a big man like he’s a

Traditional big man even though he’s technically only 68 so I think the pambo uh will factor in less I don’t think there’ll be a fixture of their rotation but I think that he could uh in certain matchups play over a guy like jayw because he just might be more

Advantageous than him uh in those uh spots especially as a veteran who you know played playoff basketball a year ago which sounds absurd you know not too long ago but that’s that’s where we’re out on him again we had a much longer conversation about those two guys specifically in the rotation yesterday

With Michael Martin which I want you to go back and listen to if you have not already uh but Kev fluffle said with the addition of bomo and Hayward along with the squad overachieving this season uh pry may still be downplaying the expectations but did these deadline

Moves hint at a push for something important in the postseason um these deadline moves didn’t prove their case for the postseason it didn’t prove prove how how good they can be this year because again you no longer have to throw your hands up at the size disparity uh now how

Often will they be overwhelmed by size you know I think that the raw rebounding numbers can get people confused with what’s actually happening on the court uh because at times yes they’re getting just you know pounded in the Raw rebounding numbers but they’re creating advantages elsewhere uh where it’s it’s

It’s you know creating turnovers it’s getting deflections it’s playing faster than the other team in transition it’s it’s it’s getting AR official transition even after made baskets you’re quicker down the floor than these bigger teams which helps you out a lot in that aspect too you’re you’re getting big man on

Islands in the perimeter you’re doing these things that other teams cannot and can’t match with you uh so you’ll give up the rebounds for the sake of all those other aspects we just named so how often will they get overwhel by bigman who knows but if you did now you can

Actually you know have a counter for that with bismack biombo and then Gordon Hayward uh addresses what I think has been a bigger issue than um you know the Big Man issue which has been those scoring LS you go through when whenever you go back and look at

Those losses well it’s easy to just you know throw your hands up and say look at the rebounding numbers it’s over when you really dig into the game the multiple scoring droughts in a game whenever you’re not playing SGA and and you have J out there alone or J not out

There at all those are what is what did those games in more so than the than the glass numbers it’s easy you know it’s be an old man look at the rebound column but sometimes it’s deeper than that and most of the time it was deeper than that

Whenever a guy like gordin actually help more than just some bruising border that you want so I think that both these guys tremendously help their efforts in the postseason as long as they’re both healthy and of course can play that’s the case for any addition though that

They have to be healthy uh now if you meant postseason as in the summertime yeah I mean I think that I think that if you’re s pry and I think it’s unfair to say that he’s continuously downplayed the expectations he hasn’t talked since the before the year uh and I think that even

Then you Sam pry has been consistently open about letting this team play out and letting the results speak for themselves and letting the the conversation flow and the team flow however it may whether it’s good bad or indifferent uh and last year when the team was was trending in the right

Direction he didn’t just set the deadline to do nothing he went and made the team better Dario sarich made the team better last year he got that team help he got this team help and in the summertime yes there’s going to be um you know important conversation to be

Had and and the Thunder I believe will be opportunistic this off season with improving this roster as they were at the deadline they’ll be that in the summertime because you know they have an MVP of this league they have you know two All-Star caliber players flanking

Him that you have no choice in those scenarios but to be opportunistic about how to improve this roster you’ll have the flexibility to do so cap wise he’ll have the draft assets to do so and this idea that he has not been an aggressive GM is just flawed it just comes from

Recency biased of um you know what’s happened the last few years whenever the Thunder didn’t have a a need or a chance to improve the roster because they weren’t in that spot yet uh and so I just I I want to caution you know whenever people keep saying that that

Prey has downplayed this team again the team was under 500 last year and if if you said last May whenever he said that you know they got to finish their breakfast which is what a quote that people keep referring back to if you said that last May if you said that this

Year at the All-Star break the Thunder would be 20 games above 500 and would be the and would be fighting for the top seat in the west people would laugh you out of the room so to to hold him to a standard of like oh he should have went

Out last year made a massive star trade before he even knew that this was possible is a bit asinine and again he didn’t improve this roster with two big moves you know biggish moves to to improve this team of course um just you know four days ago or whatever it was so

He has continuously improved this roster I think it’ll do so again in the summertime and we’ll have a lot to talk about on this show so I hope that you’ll subscribe and follow along with it coming up we’re going to talk Allstar Weekend and finish up this mailbag

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Single morning every single day we’re here for you talking Thunder basketball let’s continue on with your mailbag questions and um preview Allstar Weekend Craig says the Thunder GNA have real cap space a few free agent Targets this summer not a good free agency draft class I’m sorry that that was a terrible

Sentence not a good free agent class also not a good NBA draft class not a good free agent class this year however cap space especially in the summertime can be used for way more than just free agents it is a massive trade chip and anymore in the NBA you look

Around at the biggest moves that happen each summer you look around at the biggest stars Changing Hands the super teams that form and so on and so forth It’s via trade it’s not via just straight up fre agency signings so I I would look they’re more than free agency

But of course there are some free agents who can really help this team and it’s a lot of the same names that you heard of the trade deadline it’s kind of why they were available for trade like a Kelly o Lin for example because uh because they’re you know impending free agents

And so you know he would be one that I would still be really encouraged in the Thunder signing um this offseason so again not a great fry class I think that the the move you’re looking for which we’re going to talk about a lot in the

Summertime believe me we say five days a week in the summertime giving you thunder content so we’re going to talk a lot about these potential moves um would be more so in the trade market than free agency but there are still some free agencies that we’re going to dive into

That that could make sense for OKC uh SSN New Jersey Devils who should the Thunder Target in the lottery um I’ll tell you a name I don’t like is is Ryan Dunn I think that he plays fantastic defense I don’t think that he can survive in the NBA offensively even as

Great as his defense is uh but I gota give him credit though he is one of the best defensive prospects we’ve seen in quite some time uh I I I think back to like matis dble would be one of the only other draft prospects in the recent

Vintages that have jumped out the way that done has defensively can you find the role for him offensively I will say thunder specifically when you have this developmental system like we talked about and you have chip England in house and and I hate to put all that pressure

On chip England every time that every time that we look at at a player we just go well chip England can fix him you he’s not he’s not a miracle worker but he has a really good uh shot doctor uh you know I I think that you know Dunn

Could make sense for a team like the Thunder specifically where where you know he has an elite skill which is defense which is Elite like it is truly going to be elite in the NBA and you have the time you’re not racing against the clock you don’t got

To put him into a massive Ro right away you have the time to nurture an offensive role for him and nurture his offensive skill set I think that that makes sense for okahoma City specifically even though it’s a prospect overall I have very much concerns about him and you mentioned dun in this

Question so I kind of wanted to highlight him uh as far as other prospects I love Johnny Fury in this draft I think that uh by the time the draft combine ends he’ll be a consensus you know first round grade and I think that he should jump to the NBA right now

I get it he’s only a freshman and uh you know I think the goal coming into the year for for if he was probably to go back to Kansas after the year but given how bad the straft class is shaping up perception wise and how good the the 25

And 26 straps are shaping up no better time than now to capitalize on this stock I I think that when you look at Fury you have a guy who has soft hands as a cutter who can who can uh with his length can can catch balls over the top

Of the defenses uh and be a bad ball catcher on in the pick and roll which gives you more of a pro folio to score the basketball I think that Kansas should use him more as a cutter because I think that that can be a really Elite

Skill for him he has a quick First Step especially because of his long strides and his ability to uh use his body as a as a shield to Defenders helps him gain leverage to score inside and then you know what he can do shooting the basketball like his free throw

Percentage is at 75% that suggests that he can be a t a good shooter plus you have a 38% three-point shooter right now in college where the college game’s harder the spacing is different uh and it’s just harder for Shooters in general so I think he’s a really good play

Finisher I think that he can be a good defender in the NBA when I say good Defender he’s not going to make all defensive ever he’s not going to be a point of attack Defender like a l Dort like a like even Cas Wallace but he can be the

Epitome of your fourth best defender where you don’t want him like defending these Mega stars but you’re also when he gets called up in the pick and roll action you’re not just like absolutely shaking in your boots so I I think that he can be a player who finishes

Offensively um and caps off plays and then defensively holds his own and he has a little bit of tring shops for you know for himself but I don’t think that that will necessarily be where he Butters his bread in the NBA uh but I think that he runs the floor in

Exceptionally well in transition um and he just understands floor spacing which is a huge uh eye popper in college especially because most players don’t uh that’s why spacing is so bad in college uh but he understands how to find Windows and avenues for himself he understands uh how how to move his body

To get others open as an off ball weapon and those are all characteristics that that you want uh in Oklahoma City so I think that Fury would be a guy that especially with the way that I think it’ll Trend up um as the draft gets closer I think that with that Utah pick

Uh if it conveys uh that he’ll be a real guy that you want to take a look at in this draft uh let’s talk about Allstar Weekend again God willing uh I will be there as we get on the road again and uh head to Indiana by the time I get to

Indiana shall be rising it’s actually Phoenix it’s a great song by the way by Glen Campbell it out um Friday Rising Stars here’s what’s going on the Thunder have so many people you know competing Rising Stars Paulo Chad KAS it’s broken up into four teams uh you have Chad and

And uh they say Paulo you have Chad job and gas uh Chad and jdub on the same team with Team Jaylen Rose KAS Wallace uh is on a separate team from them so they’re going to go up against uh each other a little bit case Wallace is

Actually on team pow who won the um Rising Stars challenge team palad last year looking to repeat this year uh so it’ll be fun to see those two guys match up you know those three guys match up on different teams those two teams go together um in the rising stars

Challenge and when you got two of the four teams with a thunder representation on it pretty good chance you’re going to see them see at least one of the two teams in the uh championship game and hopefully for their sake someone brings home hardware from The Rising Stars game

It’ll be a lot of fun uh the the allar weekend is more relaxed and I think these Thunder players can really thrive in that aspect um as just their personalities can shine through K and jayd duub and chat uh at Rising Stars practice and media Avail uh to

Talk and postgame and I think they’ll all stay for the length of the weekend because the Thunder participation is not going to be done on Friday they’re going to have on Sunday uh KY Johnson in the g-league next up game uh it’s also formatted the same way where it’s four

Teams and it’s a tournament style uh ke Johnson is on team uh LSK a lot different than team LSD but if you want to join team LSD I don’t know where to look for you actually I think I might know how to look for you it might be in

The Grateful Dead concert parking lot but I digress Kathy Johnson on team LSK a YouTuber from two hype uh and it’ll be a lot of fun to watch him Darius basley is also in the G League next up game uh he’ll be on team strictly I don’t really

Know anything about strictly I know that Chris London is a YouTuber so I kind of knew him from two hype I don’t know uh anything about strictly it looks like it’s a Duo um Ball’s life and E have a team as well uh who have other G Leaguers represented there I still think

That the next up g- League game will be awesome to watch because I think that if you do give it a shot you’re going to see a lot of very talented players out there that might surprise you of guys who you want to follow along with uh and

See I think that a lot of these guys have the chance to hit and a lot of these guys like KY Johnson uh you you could be you know hearing about sooner than later at the NBA level and then of course you have SGA at the All-Star game

Uh look he played like a total of eight seconds in the allstar game his first go around now it’s year two now he’s a starter what will he look like how will he produce a lot of people question if his game will know translate to the All-Star Game format as this mid-range

Rim score um you we’ll see what I’m looking for the most is like you know is there is there a little moment between him and an is there you know you remember the moment between Russ and KD at the allar game and everything is there a moment between him and anunt

Where like after all this beef after all the you know sideswipes at each other is there kind of a come the Jesus moment there not that there needs to be but like just what is that interaction like and you’re more so looking for those kind of story lines than anything else

Then I’ll start Saturday night it’s gonna be fun you have Sabrina and Steph going in a Three-Point Contest obviously you wish that Isaiah Joe would have been able to make the Three-Point Contest over Beasley but oh well you know sucks for isia Joe but I think that Saturday

Night will still be fun and overall just Allstar Weekend is a very much uh good time good vibe type of weekend um these guys are really um you know of course don’t play defense in the allstar game whatever whatever but they do take the weekend itself pretty seriously again

They are very gracious with their time and um open up more in those press settings so it it creates a lot of fun story lines and a lot of fun uh answers and reveals a lot about players at allar weekend so stay tuned for that as we’ll have it on lockdown Thunder YouTube

We’ll have it on Twitter Ryland Styles we’re going to have it on inside the thunder.com so stay tuned to all those platforms as well and until next time be good and be good to one another

The Oklahoma City Thunder are sending multiple players to All-Star Weekend, is this still a fun event for the NBA? Will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominate the NBA All-Star game as a starter? Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Jalen Williams in the Rising Stars Contest, go team Jalen Rose? Keyontae Johnson in the NBA G League Next Up Challenge. Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic are showing out for the Charlotte Hornets, but do not overreact. How much of a role will Bismack Biyombo play? What about Gordon Hayward? NBA Draft Lottery Targets?

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