While Oklahoma City didn't make the flashy move most expected, they did pick up a valuable piece at the trade deadline. Chicago was in the process of shuffling guards, and the Thunder became the right team at the right time. Thabo Sefolosha now slides right into the spot Desmond Mason held before his injury and provides a defensive-minded athlete for OKC.
I bugged the crew over at Tremendous Upside Potential to get the scoop on the Thunder's newest guard and here is their take.
| AtL: | You saw Thabo play on a regular basis -- what do you think his best role is? |
|---|---|
| TUP: | If Thabo is going to find a place in this league, the Thunder would seem to as good a fit for him as any team. His role is going to be as a defensive stopper on the wing. If you stick him on the opposing team's best offensive wing player, Thabo will usually do a pretty good job defending his man. He's super long and has good lateral quickness. His rookie year he went up against Kobe for an entire game and held him to something like 17 points. He just never found a place here in Chicago because the Bulls have a few guards who are more complete than he is, but I think he could be valuable to the Thunder. |
| AtL: | Can you envision him as a starting two-guard in the league? |
| TUP: | Maybe he could be for the Thunder because they have enough offensive firepower around him. Thabo looks smooth with the ball but he's actually very limited offensively. His last big contribution here in Chicago was throwing away an inbounds pass to blow a game against the Heat. I'll say this: he's not going to take any shots away from Durant. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. Good teams need guys to fill roles, and Thabo can hopefully develop into a quality defensive stopper. |
| AtL: | Long-term, is he the type of player who needs the ball to be successful? |
| TUP: | No. Do not pass him the ball. Strengths: Great height, good lateral quickness, tremendous wing span. Thabo has a chance to develop into a premier defensive stopper. He also sort of knows his role which is good. He's never going to chuck up a bunch of bad shots each night. Weakneses: He's a wing that can't really shoot or pass. |
Sefolosha is well worth the draft pick in my opinion, and they added a player known for just what we needed. His opening game left quite a bit to be desired, but he does get Kobe tomorrow. The home fans will get to make the decision in a hurry, and here's hoping the Switzerland native gets nothing but cheers.
Big thanks to the guys at TUP for taking the time to answer my questions
Leave a comment