There’s a reason Oklahoma City Thunder big Isaiah Roby got the call to start a preseason game. There’s a reason that, after not playing in the first two games of the regular season, was tapped to start in place of center Al Horford. There’s a reason head coach Mark Daigneault has continued to call his number in that role.
Daigneault said Isaiah Roby came into training camp looking like “a different player” after rehabbing over summer from a right plantar fascia surgery that prevented him from traveling to the bubble with the rest of the team in July.
In what is essentially Roby’s rookie year after only getting three appearances last season, Daigneault revealed the sort of optimism the organization has for the 22-year-old following the game last week in which Roby defended Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
“This is a matchup that he should be able to handle long-term,” Daigneault said. “We see him as that kind of player.”
No, the Thunder don’t think Roby will lock Jokic down. These types of elite offensive bigs are matchup-proof.
But despite being listed at 6-foot-8, his 7-foot-3 wingspan, physical traits and studious habits will allow him to be a good defender at the center, Daigneault said.
“He’s gotta do it with activity, and he’s gotta do it with disruption,” Daigneault said. “For example, when they’re trying to just post the ball to Jokic, just contesting those catches and making those catches hard. And he actually in the second half, he got a steal opposite our bench on that very play. He’s gotta start to learn those types of habits.”
Here’s the steal Daigneault referred to, which led to a 3-on-1 fast break and dunk:
— Logan Newman (@Logan_Newsman) January 23, 2021
Roby used his length to maneuver around Jokic and get to the ball first despite coming from behind. He finished the game with four steals.
“I think he’s a good defender … He’s a great athlete,” said Mike Muscala, who is at times defended by Roby at practice. “He’s versatile for sure.”
Roby remains a ways off from being the type of center that Daigneault envisions. Jokic finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, and three nights later against the Los Angeles Clippers, Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 11 boards at the center position.
He needs to add muscle and learn defensive positioning that comes with experience.
“Definitely need to be better on the glass. I need to do a better job at keeping their fives out of the paint, keeping their fives off the glass,” Roby said. “Also just going after the ball and trying to find the ball at all times when it comes off the rim.”
With that said, Roby thinks he can use his frame to his advantage.
“I try to speed them up, try to make the catches harder, try to run faster than them,” he said. “Being able to speed these guys up, beat them down the court, and just do my best to keep them off the glass.”
His versatility contributes to the positionless basketball that Oklahoma City is aiming for, a team whose future bigs include Roby, Darius Bazley and Aleksej Pokusevski, none of whom are traditional centers in any form of the sense.
Daigneault emphasized that Roby’s approach to practice is what gives the coach confidence. It’s similar to how he was able to come into this season anew after rehabbing and training hard to recover from the injury last season.
“Isaiah has a baseline talent, there’s a lot of different things he can do — he’s versatile, he’s got a great athletic profile — but the thing that’s most encouraging about him is he’s highly professional, he’s extremely reliable, and in our feedback loop, he prepares hard,” Daigneault said.
“He tries to learn from everything — his success, his failures — and he’s ruthlessly consistent with that.”
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