With George Hill nursing a toe injury, Thunder Oklahoma City turned to rookie Theo Maledon for his first career Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Maledon responded by scoring six points, four rebounds and four assists through the 125-122 win against Portland. The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 24 points at team level, while Mike Muscala added 23 points and drained six career-high 3 points.
While Maledon earning his first career was certainly celebrated, he also contributed to the Thunder in a rare history.
The starting line used by the Thunder – which also featured Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Roby – was one of the youngest ever used in a game. In fact, the average age of the group was 21 years, 185 days the seventh youngest year ever in NBA history.
It’s no secret that the Thunder is planning for the future.
Armed with more than 20 future select versions between now and 2026, Sam Presti and the Thunder have recorded a promising future as the group prioritizes being younger and building a competitive roster.
The Thunder have often exceeded expectations, and are set to make another good start this year. With the win, OKC improved to 7-9 on the season, which is good for 11th in the Western Conference.
So that’s weird, the Thunder will continue to set age-related records in the future…