NBA Summer League tips off in Vegas with 10 games and the OKC Thunder facing the Charlotte Hornets. Get to know the squad and prep for gameday. Vegas is the home of sleepless nights, benders, entertainers of many kinds, regret, and gambling. Starting July 6 it is the home for the NBA Summer League. That is where the OKC Thunder, and every other NBA franchise will complete their summer games. We now know the team, so here are a few tidbits on each player. Before we dive into the players what about the coaches? Mark Daigneault will pace the sidelines as the head coach for the OKC Thunder. Mark is the head man for the OKC Blue–The Thunder’s G-League affiliate. He also coached OKC Thunder summer league team since 2016. Another name that is interesting is Will Chapman. The advanced scout for the OKC Thunder is a quick raiser. After spending time on the Houston Rockets staff in 2016, he made the move to OKC last season. Now, the Oklahoma Christian University alum hopes to one day be in charge of an NBA Sideline. At 27 he will sit on the OKC Thunder Summer League bench, and help grow the young players. On to the players.<doc-sep>MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 10: Terrance Ferguson #23 of the Oklahoma City Thunder makes his entrance before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 10, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) ‘Paul George My Journey’ in hindsight hints of OKC Thunder return were there all along ‘Paul George My Journey’ in hindsight hints of OKC Thunder return were there all along by Tamberlyn Richardson The NBA Summer League kicks off Friday. The odds on who will win the Summer league title are now available! The NBA Summer League itself is for NBA junkies who can not fight that basketball itch and need some action to hold them over. Betting on the Summer league is for true sporting betting degenerates. I happen to be both. In this article, I will give my pick to take home the crown. While also giving some value plays if you’re into sports betting. No OKC Thunder fans I did not forget about you, keep reading for some more updated OKC Summer League news. The odds: The Sacramento Kings have the second best odds, and for good reason. The majority of their roster are key contributors for their regular NBA squad. A lineup featuring De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, and Marin Bagley. The Suns have the best odds on paper. That is again thanks to in large part having a team featuring their main contributors and some NBA veterans. DeAndre Ayton will steal headlines, but their team is much deeper than the number one pick. Josh Jackson will return to the summer league for his second tour of duty. Do not forget that Dragon Bender will participate in his third NBA Summer League. That is a great big three to trot out in Vegas. The value play: The Memphis Grizzles at 15/1 have the best value in the Summer League. Obviously, their chances to win the whole thing are at a long shot, but not too long. The Suns, and Kings will likely win but throwing money on them to provides no real gain. Throwing a little money on Memphis can pay off big if they get hot. Their roster is headlined by Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jevon Carter. A pair of rookies that have shown to have the talent to get hot. At the Utah Summer league earlier this week, both rooks turned heads. What about the OKC Thunder? The Thunder have the third worst odds to win the NBA Summer League. That is for good reason. Their roster will be fun for OKC Thunder diehards trying to get a peak at the future, but they can not compete with the star laced rosters around the summer league. For more info on the OKC Thunder summer league you can read my preview article. Related: Terrance Ferguson season review – Rookie with big upside One last note Terrance Ferguson headlines the OKC Thunder roster of “guys fans have actually heard of!” the sophomore looks to show even more of his potential and growth. The OKC Thunder will give him plenty of opportunity to do so. Ferguson was mostly a finisher last season — 3s off the catch, lobs, fast breaks. Wants to grow as a playmaker this year. You’ll probably see him with the ball a lot at Summer League. — Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) July 4, 2018 Brett Dawson makes an interesting point here, and this will be something worth watching as the summer progresses. Could Ferguson grow into a main ball dominate guard? Obviously the athletic freak will never totally control the ball, but adding that ability to his arsenal would be great.<doc-sep>
OKLAHOMA CITY, July 5, 2018 – The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today its roster for the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018. The Thunder’s summer league team will play a minimum of five games, starting with three preliminary contests from July 6-10. The teams will then be seeded in the tournament, which starts on July 11 and concludes with the Championship Game on July 17. Oklahoma City’s summer league roster includes Thunder guard Terrance Ferguson and center Dakari Johnson, along with PJ Dozier and Daniel Hamilton and 2018 draft picks Devon Hall and Kevin Hervey. Members of the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, Michael Carrera, Michael Cobbins, Justin Leon and Rashawn Thomas are also on the roster. Mark Daigneault, head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, will lead Oklahoma City’s summer league entry with Thunder assistant coach Vin Bhavnani serving as associate head coach. Tickets for MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting NBATickets.com. Games can be viewed live on the ESPN networks or NBA TV and all box scores/game recaps can be found online at www.okcthunder.com. The Thunder’s complete Summer League roster can be found here and Oklahoma City’s MGM Resorts NBA Summer League schedule is as follows: DATE OPPONENT TIME(CT) LOCATION Friday, July 6 Charlotte 4:30 PM Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV) Saturday, July 7 Brooklyn 6:00 PM Cox Pavilion (Las Vegas, NV) Monday, July 9 Toronto 2:30 PM Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV) Wed.-Mon., July 11-16 Tournament Play Tuesday, July 17 Championship Game