OKLAHOMA CITY — Amid a slew of injuries to the Oklahoma City Thunder's roster, Isaiah Joe made his regular-season debut on Thursday, but has been a resource to undrafted rookie Chris Youngblood. In a 127-108 win against the Washington Wizards, Youngblood scored 20 points, including five threes. His shooting was falling early and often. However, that isn't always the case, which he talked about while reflected on his talks with the two-way rookie.
Joe says Youngblood's intuitive approach is felt throughout the team, specifically for him, as one of the team's elite shooters.
“In our position as shooters, you make and miss shots, but you always wanna find ways to stay on the floor even if your shots not going in. So, he's always asking things about defense,” Joe said. “Or if he wants to find ways to squeeze off looks, he’s asking questions. He's not only asking me. He's asking everybody. He's a true student and he's going to grow because of that.”
Youngblood drained four threes in a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, as his outside touch has stood out since Summer League, and sharpened in training camp. With Thunder's Isaiah Joe watching, Youngblood drained a whopping 14 threes in preseason. With injuries to Jalen Williams, Chet Homgren, and Kenrich Williams, Youngblood keeps himself ready for any and every opportunity throughout the early stages of his NBA season.
Mark Daigneault hints at increased role for Thunder rookie
While the Thunder's first-round pick Thomas Sorber recovers from a season-ending ACL injury, and its undrafted guard, Chris Youngblood in the mix, second-round pick Brooks Barnhizer has answered the call. Mark Daigneault revealed how Barnhizer earned his small role, thus far.
“The biggest thing that he's done is come in with the right approach, attitude, work ethic, and competitive level — that's the thing that stands out,” Daigneault said. “Some guys, when they come into the NBA, they have to learn the level of competition that the game requires, and doesn't have to learn that. He has to learn a lot but that's not one of the things he has to learn. That's been impressive — it's been great.”
Barnhizer's defense and rebounding has yielded brief stints throughout the first two weeks of his NBA career, including 14 and 11 minutes in tightly-contested matchups, such as a double-overtime thriller against the Pacers, which he followed up in a seven-point win on the road against the Hawks.
