Category: OKC Blue

Recap: OKC Blue complete 22-point comeback in 108-95 win over Texas Legends

Recap: G League’s OKC Blue completes 22-point comeback in 108-95 win over Texas Legends in 2023-24 season opener.

The G League’s OKC Blue mounted a 22-point comeback in their season-opening, 108-95, win over the Texas Legends on Friday.

After trailing 55-42 at halftime, the Blue utilized a 66-40 second-half scoring advantage to flip a 22-point deficit into a 13-point road win.

The Blue shot 42% from the field and went 7-of-36 (19%) from 3. They enjoyed a huge rebounding advantage over the Legends, 68-44. Texas shot 38% from the field and 13-of-44 (30%) from 3.

Some notable individual performances for both sides include:

  • Keyontae Johnson: 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds
  • Hunter Maldonado: 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, three assists
  • KJ Williams: 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting, 1-of-8 from 3, 11 rebounds, five blocks
  • Abdul Gaddy: 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists
  • Justin Jackson: 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 6-of-14 from 3, five rebounds, four assists
  • Theo Pinson: 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, three assists
  • Greg Brown III: 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds, six blocks

Here are the full highlights of the Blue’s win over the Dallas Mavericks’ G League affiliate:

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G League’s OKC Blue announce 2023-24 roster

Take a look at the OKC Blue’s roster heading into the 2023-24 season:

The OKC Blue announced their 2023-24 regular-season roster on Wednesday ahead of the season opener on Friday, Nov. 10.

The 13-player roster is headlined by the Oklahoma City Thunder’s three two-way players: Keyontae Johnson, Lindy Waters III and Olivier Sarr.

The rest of the roster consists of Caleb McConnell, Jahmi’us Ramsey, Jaden Shackelford, Abdul Gaddy, Adam Flagler, KJ Williams, Hunter Maldonado, Noah Starkey, Logan Johnson and Miller Kopp.

The training camp cuts were Kong Kong, Lance Thomas, Quintin Dove, Eddie Stansberry and Angus McWilliam.

Blue head coach Kameron Woods enters his second season under the helm. He spoke about expectations heading into the new season during the Blue’s media day.

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OKC Thunder recall Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann from G League’s OKC Blue

The Thunder recalled a trio of players from the OKC Blue the same day they were sent for assignment.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday they had recalled Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann from the G League’s OKC Blue.

The trio’s assignment lasted only a few hours, giving them a chance to practice with the Blue, who scrimmaged five-on-five during Sunday’s practice.

The Blue are conducting their training camp ahead of their 2023-24 season, which starts Nov. 10.

The trio has had a hard time getting consistent playing time this season. Dieng has averaged 13.3 minutes in six games. Poksevski has averaged six minutes in three games and Mann has averaged four minutes in three games.

At the moment, Dieng is the only one who has received somewhat consistent playing time. The franchise has more invested in him than the other two because he was a 2022 lottery pick. Pokusevski and Mann have been outside of OKC’s rotation.

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OKC Thunder assign Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann to G League’s OKC Blue

The Thunder assigned a trio of players to the G League.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday they had assigned Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann to the G League’s OKC Blue.

The trio has had a hard time getting consistent playing time this season. Dieng has averaged 13.3 minutes in six games. Poksevski has averaged six minutes in three games, and Mann has averaged four minutes in three games.

The Blue are conducting training camp ahead of their 2023-24 season, which starts Nov. 10. Odds are these assignments are to allow all three players to get extended practice time and reps.

At the moment, Dieng is the only one who has received somewhat consistent playing time. The franchise has more invested in him than the other two because he was a 2022 lottery pick. Pokusevski and Mann have been outside of OKC’s rotation.

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G League’s OKC Blue acquire Noah Starkey

The OKC Blue acquired Noah Starkey.

The OKC Blue announced on Saturday they had acquired center Noah Starkey.

Starkey is a familiar face for the Blue. He played in 11 games for them last season. The 26-year-old averaged 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.

Starkey played four college seasons at Southern Nazarene, a local Division II school, from 2015 to 2019. Last season was his first season in the G League, and he split time between the Blue and Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League affiliate is conducting training camp in preparation for the 2023-24 regular season, which kicks off on Nov. 10. Kam Woods is entering his second season as head coach.

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Recap: 2023-24 OKC Blue media day

Here’s a recap of the OKC Blue’s Media Day:

The OKC Blue held their 2023-24 media day on Thursday in preparation for the new season. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League affiliate recently kicked off their training camp.

The Blue’s season starts on Nov. 10. Head coach Kam Woods will enter his second consecutive season at the helm.

The three Thunder two-way players headline the Blue’s training camp roster: Keyontae Johnson, Lindy Waters III and Olivier Sarr. As in previous seasons, the Thunder will use the Blue to give their younger players extensive minutes.

Woods, Jaden Shackelford, Hunter Maldonado and Caleb McConnell spoke with the media during Thursday’s event.

Let’s recap what they said.

Jaylin Williams assigned to G League’s OKC Blue

The Thunder assigned Jaylin Williams to the G League’s OKC Blue as he continues to recover from a hamstring strain.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Wednesday that they had assigned forward Jaylin Williams to the G League’s OKC Blue.

This move is likely part of Williams’ rehab process. He’s missed the beginning of the season recovering from a hamstring strain he suffered during the preseason campaign.

The Blue announced their training camp roster on Tuesday as their season starts on Nov. 10. Williams will likely participate in their practices as an opportunity to wear off any rust before his return with the Thunder.

During his rookie season last year, the 21-year-old finished as the starting center for a team that finished a win shy of a playoff berth. In 49 games, he averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 40.7% from 3 on 2.3 attempts.

UPDATE:

Five hours later, the Thunder recalled Williams from the Blue, meaning he likely only practiced with them during their training camp on Wednesday.

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2023-24 OKC Blue training camp G League roster announced

Here’s who is on the OKC Blue’s training camp roster:

The OKC Blue announced their training camp roster on Tuesday in preparation for the 2023-24 season.

The Blue, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League affiliate, will start their season on Nov. 10. Blue head coach Kam Woods will be at the helm for a second consecutive season.

The Blue’s roster is headlined by the three two-way players: Keyontae Johnson, Lindy Waters III and Olivier Sarr. There are 17 players on the training camp roster.

The other 14 are Jaden Shackelford, Jahmi’us Ramsey, Abdul Gaddy, Caleb McConnell, KJ Williams, Adam Flagler, Hunter Maldonado, Lance Thomas, Logan Johnson, Kong Kong, Quintin Dove, Eddie Stansberry, Miller Kopp and Angus McWilliam.

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Even though they aren’t on the training camp roster, expect some of the younger players on the Thunder roster to occasionally be assigned to the Blue throughout the season. This gives them a chance to get extended playing time against inferior talent.

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OKC Blue adds Quintin Dove, Kong Kong from G League player pool

The OKC Blue added a pair of players from the player pool.

The OKC Blue, the G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, continue to make roster moves. Following the G League draft, the Blue added forward Quintin Dove and guard Kong Kong from the player pool.

Kong spent two college seasons at Emporia State and Kentucky State. In three career games, he averaged 5.3 points and two rebounds. He went undrafted in 2023.

Dove spent two college seasons at UT Martin from 2018 to 2020. In 60 career games, he averaged 16.6 points on 57.8% and 6.5 rebounds. The 25-year-old went undrafted in 2020 and has played overseas since then.

The Blue also added Logan Johnson and Lance Thomas in the draft.

The Blue’s 2023-24 season is set to start on Nov. 10.

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2023 G League draft: OKC Blue selects Lance Thomas, Logan Johnson

2023 G League draft: OKC Blue selects Lance Thomas, Logan Johnson.

The OKC Blue, the G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, made a pair of selections during Saturday’s 2023 G League draft.

The Blue drafted guard Logan Johnson with the No. 9 pick and forward Lance Thomas with the No. 26 pick.

Johnson played five college seasons from 2018 to 2023 at Cincinnati and Saint Mary’s. The 24-year-old averaged 8.7 points, three rebounds and 1.9 assists in 146 career games. He went undrafted in 2023.

Thomas played four college seasons from 2017 to 2022 at multiple stops including Louisville, Memphis and South Alabama. The 24-year-old averaged 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 79 career games. He went undrafted in 2022.

The Blue’s 2023-24 season is set to start on Nov. 10.

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