Central newcomer Marr’s candidate impressed Thunder during training and preseason, he writes Justin Martinez of Oklahoman (subscriber link).
The Spanish big man was the 12th overall pick in June and made a big impact in his first two exhibition games this fall, averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game. He also made all 15 field goals.
“It’s just interesting to see how the guys reacted to him“, head coach Mark Dyno said. “They’ve learned he throws the ball deep, so they get up the floor. They look for him in rolls. They understand the seriousness of a guy his size who has the hands he does. They even throw the ball to him in the post. There’s just not a lot of rookies that veterans throw the ball to without a tip. That’s a sign of trust.
“We haven’t talked to him about any of that, but the guys understand it. This is encouraging.”
As Martinez points out, there were concerns about Marr’s conditioning both during the draft and during Summer League play. But the 7’3″ center worked with a new athletic director Moral Javadifar this summer, then represented Spain in a pair of World Cup qualifiers in August. This experience helped him build stamina for a long rookie campaign.
“I think I felt good” Mara said after scoring in the first 18 minutes against New Orleans last Tuesday.Apparently there were a couple of times I got tired running up and down or the game had no stops. But I think I felt good. Once I learn how to manage all of these efforts, I think I’ll be even better. And also, playing and training, as far as conditioning, it will be better.”
Here’s more from the northwest:
- In a special story for subscribers only for The Oklahoman, Martinez takes a detailed look at the veteran power forward Kenrich Williamswho may get more playing time this season after Thunder traded away Lugentz is there, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. According to Martinez, Williams held an unofficial team minicamp over the summer and is well-respected in the locker room for his leadership, versatility and impact in winning. “I think K is one of the competitive leaders on this team“, Alex Caruso said. “Every time he plays, he tries to win. He comes with a certain intensity that is required to play if you want to win and play at a high level. I have a bit of that myself, but he’s probably the head of the snake for us. He’s in his ninth year, and you need to have those intangibles if you’re going to play in the league for a long time. All the things off the field are great. K is a great guy to be around. He is a family man, dad, great brother and teammate. But on the court, you know what you’re going to get from him every day.”
- Nuggets head coach David Adelman was encouraged by his potential to take the No. 10 spot in the rotation, writes Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. Alpha Diallo, Julian Strother and Cam Whitmore are among the players in the mix for this spot. “He is wonderful. He was great (Thursday) in practice. He is physical. He can use his hands. He is not afraid of challenges“, Christian Brown said of Dial. “I also love who he is as a person. Come in, don’t complain. He works very hard. Alpha will be great for us. He has already been great to us, but he will continue to be great to us. I think he’s going to have some really big moments this year.”