This was a great basketball game. I put hockey on the backburner to watch this game even with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avs both playing on Friday night.
It pretty much confirms everything I’ve written to date on my blog in regards to Steph, Ja Morant, and Klay Thompson.
1 Steph is a great player who had an MVP season, but on this night without Klay his team couldn’t get past the Memphis Grizzlies at home in a must win situation. Think about the last shot in regulation which Draymond Green took instead of either Steph or Klay. That badly missed shot says it all. Steph without Klay is still a fabulous player, but not championship relevant.
Draymond and Andrew Wiggins are decent third and fourth best players, but Steph needs Klay. Tom Brady needs Gronk. Gretzky neede Messier.
Steph to me is somewhat the basketball equivalent of Wayne Gretzky in hockey. Gretzky was the greatest scorer the sport of hockey has ever seen, but without the bulldog of Mark Messier next to him he never won anything in either LA or NY. He got to the finals with LA once, but never won anything without Messier. Whereas… Messier won it all with the NY Rangers. You gotta have that bulldog DNA to be a champion. You gotta have that guy.
Klay isn’t just a three point wizard, pre injuries he was a defensive bulldog who always took the other team’s best wing player. Just my opinion.
2 Ja Morant is a superstar on the cusp of being the jersey which every kid in America who plays the guard position will be wearing in two years.
It’s a shame Sam Presti won’t allow Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to do the same because I think Shai has the chance to be one of the four best guards in the league if he’s plays legit games and evolves versus sitting while his GM tanks to draft players which will eventually be playing in other cities throughout the NBA.
You don’t evolve as a player by sitting and watching for two straight seasons. OKC needs to play legit basketball games next season. Period.
3 Klay. I love Klay. He’s my favorite player in the league. I have no idea how his recent injuries will impact his game, but even if he can’t defend like a bulldog anymore he will still be a shooter who makes sure Draymond Green isn’t taking the last shot in regulation in a must win situation.
In closing…I’ll be very interested to see how Ja Morant handles himself in the first round versus Mike Conley and the Utah Jazz.
It’s good to see Memphis relevant again. The same would be nice to see in Oklahoma City in a year or two depending on how this summer’s NBA draft transpires with the Houston pick and the possibility of the Thunder landing two top seven picks.
I think tomorrow I’ll write about Sam Presti’s recent State of the Thunder address and give my takes.