The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Saturday that center Al Horford will no longer be in the rotation, looking to move on from the veteran big man. As the organization looks to prepare for the 2021 NBA Draft, the goals of the team and the goals of the former All-Star are different at this stage in his career. In his stead, the Thunder have moved Moses Brown into his role, signing the 7'2″ 21-year old to a multi-year deal.

Most of you may know Brown from this iconic gif from his time at UCLA. Brown was a top 25 recruit coming out of Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, New York, but struggled during his time at the California blue blood. He averaged a touch under 10 a game and a touch over eight rebounds a contest over the course of 31 starts during his time in Los Angeles.

Brown went undrafted in 2019. After bouncing around from the Houston Rockets Summer League team to the Portland Trail Blazers on a two-way contract, Brown found himself in the G-League, posting efficient albeit modest numbers.

After signing with the Thunder in the 2020 offseason and working through their G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, Brown seems to have hit his stride. He's been a force of nature on the glass the past nine games, averages almost as many boards (12.3) as points (12.4) per game. Some rebounding figures in that time? 16 against the Chicago Bulls, 18 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and most recently 23 against the Boston Celtics, including 19 at the half. Yeesh.

Brown, an up-and-coming prospect looking to fill out his game, just makes more sense for this Thunder squad than Horford. And for his efforts, the Thunder have rewarded him with a multi-year contract.