LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 7: Rashawn Thomas #40 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) The OKC Thunder’s NBA Summer League roster is a talented one that could provide players that can provide depth for the bench in the upcoming season. The Oklahoma City Thunder were not a good team when Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook were not in the game. In the 2018 NBA Draft, the OKC Thunder decided to get players that could help them with that problem. Those players, combined with the players that were primary players with the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G-League team, are giving the Thunder the opportunity to fix the team’s depth problems from within. The first player is Daniel Hamilton. Hamilton likes to bring the ball up and go coast to coast. He has good ball-handling for a small forward and he has a quick first step. Hamilton cannot shoot 3s very well. In the G League last season, he shot 28 percent from downtown but he was still able to average 16.1 points per game, 9.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. His ability to fill up the stat sheet is Hamilton’s best quality that he brings to a basketball team. In the team’s first Summer League game against the Charlotte Hornets, he put up 11 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. In the second game against the Brooklyn Nets he put up 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Hamilton can be a good two-way player also. He averaged 1.1 steals a game in the G League last year. The next player is Dakari Johnson. Last year Johnson averaged 20 and 10 in 10 games in the G League. His exact numbers were 23.3 points per game with 10.3 rebounds per game, and he also averaged 1.3 blocks per game during his time with the Blue. Johnson has showed no signs of slowing down in the Summer League. His strength and bulldozing post moves proved to be a force to be reckoned with. In the game against Charlotte, he scored 20 points and recorded eight rebounds. In the second game against Brooklyn, he put up 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. If the Thunder are looking for an offensive option at center or if Nerlens Noel goes down at any point in the season, which is always a possibility, Johnson could be a great backup option. The next player is Rashawn Thomas. He is a face-up post player that plays the power forward position. he has good ball control when he puts the ball on the floor in the post, which is hard to do. He can put points up in bunches with his quick first step and this has been the case in Summer League in the first two games. Last season in the G League, he put up 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He also averaged 1.5 steals per game, which helps his case for being a two-way player. In the first game against Charlotte, he put up 23 points and four steals. In the second game, he was not needed as much as the Thunder blew out the Nets 90-76. Thomas only scored eight points, but had 11 rebounds. Another player that impressed in the game against the Nets was Hamidou Diallo. The most impressive thing he did was shoot the 3 and shoot it efficiently. Diallo is known as an athlete, but he made both of his attempts from 3-point range. Diallo had 19 points and eight rebounds in the blowout win against Brooklyn. Diallo could be a player to watch for the Thunder with his ability to drive and cut for easy baskets. The first round pick of 2017, Terrance Ferguson, has not been able to have a great game yet, but there are still opportunities for him to bounce back. Ferguson is starting, so that means the Thunder are trying to get him the best opportunity and as many chances as possible to develop.<doc-sep>The OKC Thunder fell in their opening game of the NBA Summer League tournament round sending them to the consolation game tomorrow. The NBA summer League tournament portion kicked off Wednesday, July 11th. With eight games already in the books the OKC Thunder joined the 15 squads participating on Thursday, July 12th to complete the first round of the tournament. OKC entered the day seeded 6th facing their opponent the 27th seeded Memphis Grizzlies. As noted in the game day preview the Grizzlies would likely have their young stud Jaren Jackson Jr. back in the lineup after he sat the past few games (more on this later). Memphis Grizzlies 92 Oklahoma City Thunder 85 The Summer Thunder got off to a sluggish start. The Thunder went down by 21-points at one time tonight. The Thunder could not hit a shot in the second quarter, scoring just 8-points as a team in that quarter. A common trend in Vegas was these summer iterations often emulate their varsity squads. This game was a prime example of that dynamic as the summer Thunder couldn’t stop giving free opportunities so that foes. Case in point, turnovers again killed Oklahoma City, as the Thunder logged 18 giveaways. The Oklahoma City Thunder led this game once, it was with a two point lead to start the game. A poor performance that was worse than the scoreboard indicates. The Thunder allowed three Grizzlies to score over 15-points. Oklahoma City did not produce one performance of 15-points. The OKC Thunder will now fall to the losers bracket. That means after the next game, their summer league is over.<doc-sep>The OKC Thunder enter the tournament round of NBA Summer League facing a familiar foe the Memphis Grizzlies. So much for predictions right? The oddsmakers placed the OKC Thunder at the bottom of the ladder entering NBA Summer League. Mind you the team will need to continue performing, but so far they’ve surpassed expectations. This stage of the tournament raises the stakes precisely like the regular season into the playoffs do with the varsity squads. And, this is also the point where teams can surprise by stepping up their games and effort. Case in point, the same Toronto Raptors (0-3) who the OKC Thunder beat this past week took out the 3-0 Nuggets in the tournament round. Still, as much as OKC may want to win the tournament there are more important tasks at hand. Despite the Thunder working to move on from Carmelo Anthony’s albatross salary there will still be salary limitations. Retaining Grant and Felton provides depth and consistency. However, the Thunder are in desperate need of adding serviceable depth to the squad. And, that needs to be of the economic variety. With that let’s look at the keys to watching the game.<doc-sep>The players on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2018 NBA Summer League team proved they are talented and could be players that help the varsity squad down the road. The Oklahoma City Thunder‘s 2018 NBA Summer League squad showed that it is talented. With multiple players reaching double digits every game, certain guys proved why — if the Thunder need some backup help — they deserve a look. Players like Daniel Hamilton, Dakari Johnson, Deonte Burton and Rashawn Thomas all showed up for the Thunder, while the rookies Devon Hall, Kevin Hervey and Hamidou Diallo all had solid first experiences in Summer League. The Thunder’s best players in Summer League were the ones that were able to play both sides of the ball. A few players on this roster really proved its ability to dominate on both ends of the floor. For those guys, it will remains to be seen how this experience translates to each of their respective seasons in the NBA, but for now, here are five takeaways from the Thunder’s time in Summer League.<doc-sep>
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: the the Oklahoma City Thunder huddle against the Toronto Raptors during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) The tournament stage of the NBA Summer League in Vegas is set with the OKC Thunder seeded sixth and playing Thursday July 12 versus the Grizzlies. All 30 teams completed the first segment of the NBA Summer League tournament in Vegas. Although figuring the seeding is akin to guessing how many jellybeans are in a jar, I’m fairly confident the OKC Thunder are ranked sixth. The math which led me to this summation is five teams were unbeaten and OKC fell into the next tier of eight squads who finished with a 2-1 record. Tiebreakers to determine rank are based on quarter points and point differential. A look at the chart would seemingly indicate the Thunder ranked 12th. However, the Lakers finished first because their 10.5 point differential was the best of the five squads. Likewise, the Thunder’s 8.0 differential ranks best among the 2-1 squads. Schedule: Eight games and 16 squads will play today (Wednesday, July 11). Losers from those games (and from Thursday’s games) will automatically play in consolation games on Friday. Winners will get a day off and advance to play their next bracketed winner on Saturday July 14th. OKC’s first contest (Game 57) is Thursday, July 12th versus the Memphis Grizzlies at 6:00 PM ET (5:00 CT) at the Cox Pavilion. If OKC win they’ll play the winner of the Jazz vs.Magic match (Game 60). That match (Game 75) will take place on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center at 10:30 PM EST (9:30 PM CT). Should the Thunder lose they will play in a consolation game vs. the loser of the same above match on Friday in the Thomas and Mack Center at 8:30 PM ET (7:30 CT). Since this portion of the tournament is the elimination round other than the Friday consolation games a loss results in the end of a team’s tourny. Quarters, Semis and Finals: In terms of game times, if the Thunder win out their quarter final match would occur Sunday July 15 at 10:00 PM (9:00 CT), the semi on 10:30 PM (9:30 CT) Monday and the finals on Tuesday at 10 PM (9PM CT). Plan on grabbing a nap if the Thunder progress since all their games are so late. Funny the team who were expected to be the third worst in the tournament have fared so well. Although it would be great for players like Terrance Ferguson and the Thunder rookies to gain winning experience it’s not the top priority. Rather assessing the talent on the roster is far more essential. Sam Presti and the brain trust will need to decide where to assign each of their rookies. One two-way contract remains to be awarded and several spots on the OKC Blue are up for grabs. Several players have produced stand out performances such as Rashawn Thomas, Daniel Hamilton and rookie Hamidou Diallo. The 2-way contract awarded to Deonte Burton was somewhat surprising given Thomas and Hamilton’s consistent production. TI will provide more details leading up to and after the matches. For the full schedule visit nba.com. Want to get a better overview of the Thunder rookies and tournament participants check out TI’s prospect previews. We’ll have a game day preview for the Thunder – Grizzlies match tomorrow morning and post game grades afterward as well.