The Athletic’s John Hollinger listed Oklahoma City Thunder two-way player Lindy Waters III as one of his seven players who have made watching tanking teams tolerable. Waters III was signed on a two-way deal on Feb. 11 and had averaged eight points while shooting 36.3 percent from three on nearly six attempts in 25 games this season. With his two-way deal including next season, Waters III’s late-season play and ability to shoot from outside off the catch basically guarantees he will start the season with the Thunder.
“Something has clicked for him since graduating in 2020, especially as a shooter. Waters played 16 games for the Thunder’s G League team and shot the lights out, hitting 48.8 percent from 3, making 18 of his 19 free throws, and also converging enough 2s to land a spectacular 76.7 True Shooting mark. The 6-foot-6 guard was always a halfway decent athlete, so this shooting shift almost immediately marked him as a potential NBA player.
Since signing with the Thunder, he’s kept shooting it. Waters is launching 15.3 triples per 100 possessions, with more than three-quarters of his shots coming from beyond the arc. He’s made 36.3 percent while also grading out as a plus rebounder and a decent enough defender. If he can either score an occasional 2-point basket or lift his 3-point mark closer to 40 percent, the Thunder have a rotation sniper.”
Waters III’s development has been one of the more pleasant surprises for the Thunder this late into the season. If he can develop other areas in his game and not rely solely on his shooting, then there’s a legit shot at the Oklahoma State product sticking to the NBA and carving out a nice career. In fact, Waters III has been so good that Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has limited his minutes recently due to the fear of him helping the team win games.
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