The Thunder’s latest miss has left them staring at the same problem they started with: a thin wing rotation and one veteran who may have to carry far more than planned.
Denver matching Oklahoma City’s offer for Spencer Jones keeps the final roster spot unresolved, and it also strips away a player who looked like a clean fit. At 6-foot-7, Jones would have given the Thunder the kind of physical perimeter presence they lost when they traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks.
That leaves Kenrich Williams in the spotlight. He’s the only player on the roster who truly fits that forward mold outside of Jalen Williams, and the team may not have much choice but to lean on him.
General manager Sam Presti spent the offseason reshaping the roster by replacing Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins with Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara, while also banking on Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic taking on bigger jobs. Those moves added depth around the rim and at the top of the key, but they also left the wings - especially the forward spots - dangerously light.
Alex Caruso can defend forwards when needed, but his minutes figure to stay limited, particularly once the regular season starts. That makes Kenrich the most obvious answer, even if he isn’t an ideal one.
Williams did give Oklahoma City usable offense last season, hitting 47.3 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from 3-point range. The problem came on the other end.
His 109.5 defensive rating was the worst among Thunder players who appeared in at least 45 regular-season games, and his 52.5 percent defensive field goal percentage wasn’t much better. The only player who graded out worse was Payton Sandfort, who played in just four games.
Still, the Thunder may be headed toward asking more of him simply because the alternatives are so limited. More than 4,700 minutes disappeared with the departures of those three wings, and someone has to absorb them.
Cason Wallace and Jared McCain should see bigger roles, and Stirtz can help against smaller guards. But when Oklahoma City needs someone to battle bigger forwards without giving up too much athleticism, Kenrich Williams is the one who fits.
If Presti can’t find another big-bodied forward at a bargain price in free agency, the Thunder could end up with Williams backing up Jalen Williams. And if Dub runs into injury trouble again, Oklahoma City’s season may wind up leaning heavily on the 31-year-old forward.
In Other News...
Austin Reaves Just Reopened A Frustrating Rockets Playoff Memory
Deandre Aytons lone season with the Lakers ended the way a lot of uneasy roster fits do, with the front office moving on and the conversation turning quickly to what went right and what never quite clicked. Austin Reaves, though, made a point of pushing back on the idea that Aytons year was a disappointment, pointing to the centers strong playoff stretch and the way he helped stabilize the middle when the games got bigger.
For Lakers fans, the most memorable part of that run may still be the first-round series against Houston, where Ayton was a real factor in a six-game win. Reaves defense of him lands with a little more weight because the Lakers have already pivoted to Walker Kessler on a major new deal, a change that says plenty about how the team views its present and future at center, even if the old debate around Ayton still lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Suddenly Face A Painful Alex Caruso Decision
Alex Caruso has already carved out a valuable niche for Oklahoma City, giving the Thunder exactly the kind of edge playoff teams tend to need: tough perimeter defense, timely shot-making and a steady hand in big moments. He was a meaningful part of last seasons deep postseason run, and his presence has fit neatly alongside the teams young core as the Thunder continue to push toward contention.
The problem is what comes next. Oklahoma City is heading toward a roster crunch as salary rises for its key young players, and the front office may eventually have to decide whether keeping veterans on larger deals is worth the cost of preserving the long-term group. Caruso is one of the names in that conversation, with Isaiah Hartenstein also looming as another possible salary casualty if the Thunder need room to keep building around their core. [Read more 🡒]