Tag: Isaiah Roby

Huskers in the NBA: Week 2

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have three former players in the NBA: Dalano Banton, Bryce McGowens, and Isaiah Roby. Here is their Week 2 recap.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers currently have three former players in the NBA: guard Dalano Banton of the Toronto Raptors, guard Bryce McGowens of the Charlotte Hornets, and forward Isaiah Roby of the San Antonio Spurs.

Week 2 of the NBA is now officially in the books. The start of the season has been filled with surprises. Roby’s Spurs are in fourth place in the Western Conference at 4-2, while the Utah Jazz are in third at 5-2. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have sputtered to a disappointing 1-5 start.

From a Nebraska perspective, McGowens headlined the week by scoring his first NBA basket.

Let’s take a quick look at the past week for the three former Cornhuskers.

Huskers in the NBA: Week 1

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have three former players in the NBA: Dalano Banton, Bryce McGowens, and Isaiah Roby. Here is their Week 1 recap.

The NBA regular season officially tipped off on October 18.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers currently have three former players in the league: Dalano Banton, Bryce McGowens, and Isaiah Roby.

Banton is entering his second season with the Toronto Raptors. McGowens was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. He was his NBA debut this week.

Roby was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2019, but he was quickly traded to the Dallas Mavericks. In the middle of rookie season, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he played for three seasons. He joined the San Antonio Spurs this offseason.

Let’s take a look at how each player fared in their Week 1 action.

Gregg Popovich praises former Nebraska F Isaiah Roby

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich spoke highly of former Nebraska forward Isaiah Roby.

Former Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Isaiah Roby was claimed off waivers by the San Antonio Spurs in July.

Well, Roby has made a strong impression in his short time in San Antonio. According to Tom Orsborn of San Antonio Express-News, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich spoke highly of Roby.

“He is really more skilled than I was expecting and he’s a little bigger than I expected,” Popovich said. “He moves well really well for his size and he has good athleticism – coordinated athleticism. He handles himself really well.”

Last season, Roby averaged 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks, while shooting 51.4% from the field and 44.4% from three-point range.

Roby ended the season on a high note scoring double-digit points in each of his last ten games, including a 30-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Roby is expected to compete with Jeremy Sochan, Zach Collins, and Gorgui Dieng for minutes off the bench.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdd6z9hqw4epb9e player_id=none image=https://cornhuskerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

[listicle id=6146]

Former Thunder player Isaiah Roby claimed by Spurs on waivers

Isaiah Roby has found a new home.

Former Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Roby was claimed off of waivers by the San Antonio Spurs, per ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Roby was waived by the Thunder this past Saturday before his $1.9 million salary that the team picked up on an option became fully guaranteed.

Roby spent the first three seasons of his career with the Thunder after going 45th overall the second round of the 2019 NBA draft. In 109 career games, Roby averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 49.5 percent shooting.

The Thunder are currently experience a roster crunch, especially in the front court, so the chances of Roby playing any meaningful minutes this upcoming season was close to zero.

[mm-video type=video id=01g6k1rmm2aa0k7g5f2d playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g6k1rmm2aa0k7g5f2d/01g6k1rmm2aa0k7g5f2d-19880c7e0f33b31ab507c231e93e9ab9.jpg]

[listicle id=459606]

OKC Thunder release Isaiah Roby

The Thunder trimmed the roster down.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday that they have waived center Isaiah Roby. The Thunder had until the end of July 3 to make Roby’s $1.9 million salary — which the team previously picked up on an option — guaranteed.

The release of Roby trims the roster down to 21 players and the team has to trim that down to 15 full-time NBA players and two two-way players by the start of the 2022-23 season.

Roby spent the last three seasons with the Thunder, where he averaged 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 109 games.

Considering Roby has looked like a solid player the last couple of seasons, he should be able to find another NBA home relatively soon.

[mm-video type=video id=01g695ah2atrv826322v playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g695ah2atrv826322v/01g695ah2atrv826322v-270c81b43465c908e8bc8bb3d1c7e735.jpg]

[listicle id=459565]

ESPN: Projected starting salaries for OKC Thunder free agents

How much is Lu Dort expected to make on his next contract?

ESPN’s Bobby Marks published an article on Thursday to project the salaries of every NBA free agent this summer.

NBA free agency officially begins on Thursday afternoon. The Thunder have four free agents listed in the article.

The four players are Lu Dort, Mike Muscala, Isaiah Roby and Melvin Frazier Jr.

The Thunder declined the team options on Dort and Muscala. Meanwhile, the Thunder picked up Roby’s $1.9 million team option but his salary won’t but guaranteed until July 3. Frazier Jr. was on a two-way deal to finish last season.

Dort is a restricted free agent, which means the Thunder will have 72 hours to match any offer sheet he signs with another team.

Let’s take a look at the projected salaries.

OKC Thunder pick up Isaiah Roby’s team option

The Thunder picked up Isaiah Roby’s option for next season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have picked up the $1.9 million team option on Isaiah Roby for the 2022-23 season, per Spotrac’s Keith Smith. The Thunder were due a decision on Wednesday with Roby.

While the option is picked up, the Thunder have until July 3 to make the salary fully guaranteed.

The Thunder also declined Lu Dort’s team option, which makes him a restricted free agent.

Roby is entering his fourth season with the Thunder. In 109 career games, Roby has averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 49.5 percent from the field.

The Thunder currently have a roster crunch, so Roby could still be shipped off due to it before the season begins.

[mm-video type=video id=01g691yg1yf4z5fkr462 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g691yg1yf4z5fkr462/01g691yg1yf4z5fkr462-a0de3b1ff331f53b4cae69c1b3760325.jpg]

[listicle id=459506]

OKC Thunder quotes: Some players believe the team could make the playoffs next season

It’s interesting how the loudest voices for making the playoffs a goal next season are the ones who are looking for a new contract in the near future.

During Monday’s Oklahoma City Thunder exit interviews, several players spoke about playoff aspirations for next season. The Thunder missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season after going 24-58 and finished with the fourth-best lottery odds. The Thunder last went to the playoffs less than two calendar years ago in The Bubble during the 2019-20 season, where it lost in seven games in a First Round series against the Houston Rockets.

Let’s take a look at some of the more significant quotes from players who showed their full confidence in the team’s ability to make the playoffs next season if fully healthy.

OKC Thunder news: Key offseason dates to be aware of for the summer

Here is a list of key offseason dates to keep an eye on for the Oklahoma City Thunder in terms of contract options.

With the offseason fully underway for the Oklahoma City Thunder, roster decisions will be imminent in the following months as the team tries to narrow down to 15 regular players and two two-way players.

The Thunder currently own four 2022 draft picks with three of them being in the first round. In terms of who has fully-guaranteed money next season, the list includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Derrick Favors, Josh Giddey, Darius Bazley, Ty Jerome, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Mike Muscala, Isaiah Roby and Lu Dort have team options as well.

Let’s take a look at some important dates during the summer that will decide who will and won’t be on the team at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign.

OKC Thunder player grades: Franchise secures fourth-best lottery odds with 50-point loss to Clippers

That’s it, it’s over.

The Oklahoma City Thunder wrapped up its 2021-22 season by securing the fourth-best lottery odds with a 138-88 blowout loss to the LA Clippers on Sunday.

The Thunder entered the game with its best-case scenario being attaining sole possession of the fourth-best odds due to a Detroit Pistons loss with the worst-case scenario being it ties for the fourth-best odds with the Indiana Pacers.

The Clippers — who were without Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris Sr. and Norman Powell — thoroughly dominated this game. There was no funny business this time around as the Clippers led by double digits for almost the entirety of the game.

Meanwhile, the Thunder stuck by its extremely shorthanded rotation by only playing six players with five of them playing over 40 minutes. In all likelihood, most — if not all — of the players who touched the floor this game will not return for the Thunder next season. But give them credit for going out there and playing heavy doses of minutes recently as the team tried to lose as many games as possible to maximize its lottery odds. Let’s take one final look at player grades for the regular-season finale.