The Oklahoma City Thunder have one more preseason game remaining before taking the court on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Paycom Center on NBC and Peacock against the Houston Rockets, where the NBA Championship banner will be raised and a new journey officially begins. Before then, the Thunder have one more roster decision they have to make to complete the roster.
OKC still has one available two-way roster spot remaining; one more slot for a player to split time between the OKC Blue and Thunder. With one preseason game left, the spot looks like it is down to two players: Chris Youngblood and Malevy Leons.
The Thunder tend to utilize players on two-way contracts in the NBA rotation every year, with players like Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell being success stories from late-round to undrafted players going from a two-way deal to a guaranteed contract extension by the end of the season. The Thunder also played Branden Carlson and Adam Flagler in situational appearances as two-way players when key injuries hit the team last season.
This already seems to be the case this season, with Brooks Barnhizer and Carlson shining in preseason and the availability of Jalen Williams, Mitchell, Isaiah Joe and Nikola Topic at the start of the season in question. The Thunder could use another solid option off the bench if the injury woes continue, and either of these guys could be that guy.
Chris Youngblood | Guard
Youngblood has shown flashes of a potentially great volume three-point marksman throughout preseason and NBA Summer League. He has shot 39.4 % from deep on 33 total attempts through his five appearances.
Last season at the University of Alabama, Youngblood shot 38.8% from deep on 152 total attempts in 708 minutes. He scored double digits in three of Alabama’s four NCAA Tournament games.
Streakiness has been a noticeable flaw of Youngblood’s game so far, as he has scored 20 or more points twice but has shot below 30% from three twice as well. His constant threat as a potential shotmaker is too much to pass up, though.
Having a guard to complete a two-way trio of a guard, forward and center is the most viable option to have at the end of a team’s bench, and Youngblood ensures that.
Malevy Leons | Forward
Leons spent time with the Thunder last year, appearing in six games. In those six appearances, he averaged 3.5 minutes per game and 0.3 points per game.
Leons brings another viable reserve big to the Thunder roster, a position that got light at times last season due to injuries from Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. He is not afraid to shoot three-point jumpers, hitting them at a high clip during the preseason, shooting 53.8% on 2.6 attempts a night.
No matter which direction OKC goes for the final two-way slot, the team will add a competitive player.
