The Oklahoma City Thunder will conclude their regular season tonight in Los Angeles.
But, for Thunder forward Jaylen Hoard – his season had just started. Now, he’s looking to leave a strong closing statement on what has been a remarkable ten days.
If there’s been one standout to close the NBA season – it’s been Jaylen Hoard. Following two two-way contracts in his first two years, Hoard returned to the Blue for the second season in a familiar situation. Armed with an Exhibit-10 contract, the 23-year-old had NBA aspirations on his mind. Instead, he saw two big-league minutes and January, and that was it.
On April 1, Hoard caught his NBA break. It’s been nothing to fool about.
In five appearances with the Thunder, Hoard has emerged as Mark Daigneault’s go-to guy, leading the troops with averages of 17.8 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on a 55.1-percent clip. Going even further, the Frenchman has averaged 24.6 points and 15.6 rebounds in his last three games. Sprinkle in a 20-rebound debut and the seventh 20-point, 20-rebound effort in franchise history – you have a solid gauge of Hoard's portfolio.
Leading into the G League season, one thing held firm, Hoard was a highly-skilled finisher. Routinely operating as the Blue’s primary cutter in the bubble, he turned into the team’s foul magnet, essentially flinging into frontcourt figures in exchange for foul shots. In 19 games with the Thunder, he still brought the same level of magnetism. The issue was he couldn’t shoot beyond the charity stripe.
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In a week-long span, Hoard has shown that, when he’s in a groove, he’s not handicapped to the interior. Across 49 regular-season games with the Blue, he drained seven three-point shots. He’s canned eight threes on his deal, including a 5-of-7 outburst.
Hoard sneakily developed for the Blue this season on multiple facets. As an off-ball piece, he was a much-more integrated member of pick-and-roll sets this season, becoming a key cog in high-ball screens set for Zavier Simpson and Jahmi’us Ramsey, among others. With this, he made the most of his springy 6-foot-8 frame to slip to the basket for flushes or await dump-off passes. Additionally, the season-ending outage of D.J. Wilson forced Hoard into playing full-time five. The stint came with hiccups, but his month-long venture has yielded serious growth as his charges towards potential misses have caused pandemonium for prospective teams – leading to a bevy of snags.
The last two seasons, Hoard has patiently waited in line for a long-term shot in the big leagues. Though the sample is small – April has sparked him a serious league-wide outlet. As a slashing four, Hoard has cemented himself as a tenacious finisher who both absorbs and attracts contact. Additionally, his defensive efforts have emitted this same level of energy. In the modern era, power forwards bearing rudimentary shooting skills almost have to dominate in other areas – such as defense or athletic ability. Hoard checks those other boxes, but he'll need to prove proficiency to scathe a standard contract. This past week, he’s reached that desired level.
Entering the offseason as an unrestricted free agent Jaylen Hoard’s current stint has made him an under-the-radar piece on the impending market, and, at the bare minimum, a hot topic at the two-way level.
Hoard is slated to play big minutes in Sunday’s season finale versus the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Lasting Impression: Jaylen Hoard Making His Mark In 10-Day Deal With Thunder - Sports Illustrated
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