Thursday Bolts – 5.28.15

Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com: “Think back to that 2012 draft, when Harrison Barnes, Festus

Ezeli and Draymond Green were selected. In that summer, could anyone have sold you on the Warriors making a Finals before the Thunder got back to one?”

Berry Tramel on what Mitch McGary needs to improve: “Defensive positioning. He’s actually a decent athlete. He could be a good defender. But like most rookies, he has no clue about NBA defense when it comes to the pick-and-roll and post defense. If McGary can turn himself into an acceptable defender, he’ll have a long career.”

Darnell Mayberry on McGary: “Suddenly, it was clear that the kid could be special. It wasn’t just those two performances. It was also the way McGary stole the show at the team’s annual Blue-White scrimmage in October. It was the way he rumbled his way to 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in his lone preseason showing. By the time McGary put up 20 points with nine rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes off the bench at Portland on Feb. 27, he left no doubt that he had the potential to be a stud. And what made McGary’s performances more impressive was that the Thunder wasn’t running plays for him. He was flirting with nightly double-doubles thanks solely to his feel for the game and his persistent energy.”

Thunder salary by the numbers.

Mayberry grading McGary: “There was a lot to like about McGary’s offensive game. He showed soft hands, a feathery touch, the ability to catch and finish in transition and out of pick and rolls and a knack for gobbling up offensive rebounds and getting putbacks. But his mid-range shooting was not in that group. McGary shot 34.8 percent on jump shots, according to nba.com/stats. Not a huge deal given his other strengths and those of his teammates. But it’s an area that can help round out McGary’s offensive game and make him even more of a threat on the offensive end as he progresses in his career.”

With Scott Skiles being the leading candidate for the Magic, it’s pretty clear that Rob Hennigan is definitely not Sam Presti.