Oklahoma City's season has reached a pinnacle after a win over the Blazers on Tuesday night. The Thunder is in possession of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference as of Wednesday afternoon, even if just for a day. This is an impressive accomplishment for the third-youngest team in the NBA.
Once again, Oklahoma City is outplaying expectations by a long shot. Currently, the Thunder is on pace for 57 wins and in position to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs. The roster is maturing at a rapid rate and everyone from rookies to veterans are having a significant impact.
This is an incredibly promising stretch for the Thunder's young core and should give management plenty of confidence moving forward. Because of the strong first half of the season though, Oklahoma City has lost a bit of time for development purposes. Players like Ousmane Dieng and Tre Mann haven't been able to get consistent minutes and play through mistakes. That's what the G League is for, though.
With the Thunder being so good, it's very convenient to have the Oklahoma City Blue right next door. The Thunder can send players back and forth at its convenience. That's exactly what they've done this week. Dieng, Mann, and two-way prospect Lindy Waters all suited up for the Blue on Wednesday and led the team to a convincing victory.
Dieng, who has struggled with efficiency this season, had a great outing in a 114-91 win over the Mexico City Capitanes. He poured in 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, along with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Efficiency on offense and 3-point shooting is his key to finding minutes with the Thunder. Hopefully, Wednesday is a step in the right direction.
Mann's shot wasn't falling, but he impacted the game in other ways. He added 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 2-of-8 from 3-point range, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Waters continued his strong play away from the Thunder, totaling 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 3-of-8 from long range.
All three players will likely see their numbers called in the big leagues down the stretch, and staying ready is crucial.
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