The Thunder may spend part of Monday night in Atlanta without much of their regular rotation, but that does not make the preseason any less worth watching.
Oklahoma City has already logged two exhibition games and still has a handful left before the regular season opens on Oct. 20. The next one comes against Atlanta on Monday, Oct. 12, and head coach Mark Daigneault made it clear that several familiar faces are likely to stay home.
“We are going to not travel a number of guys just based on the rhythm of preseason and the fact that it's a back-to-back,” Mark Daigneault said.
“A large amount of our returning rotation players, if not all of our returning rotation players, will not travel and will not play - just in the interest of having them physically ready to go against Indiana. We'll travel the rookie players, the two ways and the Exhibit-10 guys. We'll have nine total guys in Atlanta."
That leaves the spotlight on a different group, and that’s exactly why these remaining preseason games still matter. The Thunder have a deep collection of young players in camp, and the rest of exhibition play should give them a real chance to log extended minutes.
Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz, both first-round picks, have already stood out through Oklahoma City’s first two preseason games. They’ve looked like players who can become real pieces for the team.
There’s also a cluster of young talent still trying to push its way into the picture. Second-round pick Otega Oweh and undrafted free agent Josh Dix are both on two-way contracts and are competing for a standard roster spot. Other undrafted free agents in camp are also trying to make enough noise to stick in the organization, most likely with the OKC Blue.
Then there’s another layer of roster competition. Second-year wing Brooks Barnhizer, a former second-round pick, is on a two-way deal and needs strong play if he wants to land the Thunder’s final standard roster spot. Anthony Pritchard and Zhaire Smith should also see more run as they try to show what they can do.
Beyond the individual battles, these games should offer a first look at how all these new pieces fit together. Many of the players set to be in Atlanta on Monday have only been together for a few months, and they have not had much game time as a unit.
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