Thunder Rookie Tracker: Waters III, Krejci Ending Season Strong in Enhanced Roles

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Thunder
By Derek Parker | Last updated 4/1/22

With the season winding down and a slew of injuries plaguing the team, the Oklahoma City Thunder have begun to reach deep into the deepest recesses of their bench.

Two prospects who have begun to elevate due to their enhanced roles, are Lindy Waters III and Fit Krejci.

Against the Hawks, Waters III finished with the second most points in the game, exploding for 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field and 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. He also tacked on four boards and one steal and assist apiece.

In his last three contests, Waters III is averaging 17.0 points on 47% shooting. Most importantly for his role moving forward, he made 45% of his 11.0 attempted 3-pointers in that span. He also averaged 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals.

Waters iii is a unique fit on the Thunder’s current configuration. He’s heavily overachieved expectations for his debut season, and has shown he could eventually be a valuable bench contributor in the future. Still, in the early stages of the rebuild, his future with the team is cloudy.

This season, he’s averaging 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 40 percent overall.

Krejci hasn’t been perfect by any means, but his unique skill set and feel for the game has been on display. Krejci has found ways to impact the game outside of just scoring the basketball, using his lengthy frame and basketball IQ to his advantage.

In his last four games, in which he’s averaged 30 minutes per night, he’s averaging 10.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. In that span, he’s shooting 41% from the field and 43% from three on 5.8 attempts per game.

Still just 21-years-old, there’s plenty of time and room for Krejci to improve. And enough interesting attributes to continue giving him a chance.

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This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Thunder and was syndicated with permission.

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