The Thunder’s latest roster move might not look like much at first glance, but Oklahoma City has built a habit of turning quiet bets into real value. That’s why Christoph Tilly’s arrival deserves attention.
Sam Presti and the front office gave the big man an Exhibit-10 training camp invite on Monday, another chance for a player who went undrafted in June after four years in college. Tilly’s most recent stop was Ohio State, where he put up 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 47.9 percent from the field in 32 games.
He wasn’t a headline-grabber in college, but he showed enough to get a look. At 7-foot and 240 pounds, Tilly brings size and a soft touch around the basket, and that was enough for Oklahoma City to give him minutes in Summer League. In three games there, he averaged 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds before earning this new shot in camp.
The Thunder still have one roster spot open after all their moves this summer, and while they’re not required to carry 15 players, filling that final slot is still a meaningful decision for a team with championship ambitions. Team media member and beat writer Rylan Stiles said that spot could wind up going to one of the Exhibit-10 players headed to camp.
That leaves Oklahoma City with options. Tilly is one path, Josh Dix is another, and Otega Oweh is also in the mix as a two-way wing. The Thunder can afford to wait and see which player makes the strongest case, especially with a roster already loaded enough to sit atop the Western Conference and, as the source material notes, the league as a whole.
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