The Oklahoma City announced that they have assigned Gabriel Deck back to their G League affiliate — the Oklahoma City Blue.
This comes two days after previously assigning Deck and others to the Blue just to call them back up eight hours later in order to have them suit up for last night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.
I expect a similar game plan with Deck as the Thunder do not play another game until Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Blue have not played a game since Dec. 5 and will not play one until Dec. 15. So these last two G League trips for Deck was probably to get some extra practice time in as the focal point of the offense.
But then again, the Blue (12 pm) and Thunder (7 pm) both play home games on Wednesday at Paycom Center. I could definitely see a situation where Deck plays heavy minutes for the Blue and is active for the Thunder. This would not be the first time the franchise has used this strategy this season.
This now Deck’s third G League assignment this season.
After arriving in April last season, Deck finished the season with 10 games played and playing over 20 minutes a night. This year, his role has taken a significant step back as the team focuses more on player development. The 26-year-old has averaged 2.2 points in six games this season.
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