Andre Roberson, a former Thunder standout, is outwardly understanding with the Blue, Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate, in response to a group spokesperson, per Rylan Stiles.
Roberson spent six years with the Thunder and was as soon as broadly thought-about one of many NBA’s easiest perimeter defenders as a consequence of his distinctive mixture of energy, athleticism and intuition. He usually guarded a few of the greatest scorers within the league comparable to LeBron James, Klay Thompson, and Kawhi Leonard.
In 2016-17, he was even named to the All-Defensive group and helped the Thunder attain the Western Conference Finals twice. He was additionally part of top-of-the-line defensive lineups the franchise has ever loved – one which solely allowed simply 95.9 factors per 100 possessions.
Unfortunately, within the 2017-18 season, Roberson ruptured his patellar tendon when making an attempt to complete a lob thrown by Russell Westbrook. Subsequently, he was sidelined for 30 months as a result of harm and would play simply 87 minutes the next season earlier than turning into a free agent.
In 2021, the Brooklyn Nets kicked the tires on the defensive-minded wing, signing him to a 10-day contract, however it wouldn’t final. Roberson hasn’t performed within the NBA since then.
It’s unlikely that Roberson is working to return to the NBA as a participant, however maybe he would possibly observe the identical path that different former Thunder gamers have. The entrance workplace in Oklahoma City presently has 5 former Thunder gamers working for them in some capability.
That checklist contains Eric Maynor, Nazr Mohammd, Mike Wilks, Anthony Morrow, and most lately, D.J. White. And whereas Kameron Woods didn’t play for the Thunder, he performed two seasons with the Blue earlier than transitioning into assistant teaching positions with the Thunder, after which the Blue, earlier than in the end being given the Blue’s head teaching place again in September.
If Roberson can discover a position throughout the Thunder group, it’s straightforward to see his expertise, data of defensive schemes, and nuances of on-ball protection offering invaluable perception for the second youngest group in NBA historical past. More particularly due to Oklahoma City’s youthful, however inexperienced defensive expertise that already resides on the wing place.
Want to hitch the dialogue? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to remain updated on all the most recent Thunder news. You also can meet the team behind the protection.
submit credit score to Source link