OKC Thunder Roster List for Season 2016-2017: The Potential Starting Lineup and What 22-Year-Old, Spaniard, Alex Abrines Brings to the Table
Oklahoma City Thunder made a stir after signing a multi-year contract with 22-year-old Alex Abrines, reportedly for three years and close to $18 million. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists during his stint at FC Barcelona Lassa. Nevermind the points-per-game shooting, but focus on his 41.7 percent accuracy from 3-point range which can prove to be fatal against adversaries when honed properly.
Abrines is participating in the Rio Olympics but the Spanish Basketball Federation allowed him to take temporary leave from the National Team to iron out a contract with the Thunder. The Spanish star is back in Rio preparations now and rejoined his national team.
Meanwhile, general manager Sam Presti said that he is confident that Abrines can add versatility in perimeter plays for the squad while the main man Russel Westbrook works on the insides. Presti also points in a statement that Abrines promises tremendous skill for his age so the team willingly invested on him.
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Earlier this month, four key players of the Thunder fell in the free agency, including Randy Foye, Nazr Mohammed, and Dion Waters. The biggest drawback was losing Kevin Durant who was embraced by the finals' runner-up Golden State Warriors. The current set-up left Russel Westbrook to be the only reliable scorer for the squad for this up and coming season if other members like Enes Kanter and Victor Oladipo can't make significant contributions.
The present set-up of the Thunder may give fans a glimpse of the potential playing style that the squad may come up with for the 2016-2017 season focused on perimeter and outside shooting. Coach Billy Donovan earlier hinted that they are shaping Westbrook for inside play to fill in the gap Durant made. Though the team can opt for outside plays, banking on Westbrook's shooting and now the addition of Abrines.
The team is also reported to have been pursuing Oklahoma native Blake Griffin in 2017 free agency to support Westbrook. The 5-time All Stars Clippers' has an average of 21.4 points per game and 8.2 rebounds last season, and can be a huge boost for the inside gameplay.
So, going into the next season, Oklahoma still poses a credible threat for the playoffs with Westbrook handling the ball, Steven Adams under the basket, Kyle Singler and Ersan Ilyasova on both flanks and Andre Roberson to kill the fastbreaks.
