December 29, 2020.
Five months removed from a season-ending plantar fascia injury, three appearances in a Thunder jersey, and 11 NBA minutes tied to his name – Isaiah Roby stood face-to-face with Nikola Vucevic at center court.
He made a strong first impression.
In the absence of starting center Al Horford, a 22-year-old Roby stood toe-to-toe with the Vucevic-led Orlando Magic, sparking a fire under the Thunder’s offense. By the game’s end, the 6-foot-8 forward had played up a few sizes, capping the night with 19 points and seven rebounds on a 9-of-12 shooting clip.
From then on, Mark Daigneault’s rotation was set – and Isaiah Roby was in the mix.
Thirty-four games, that’s how many starts Roby placed last season. That year, Daigneault showed no hesitancy firing his young guns, couple this with Horford calling the season quits in February – the Dixon native took center stage.
In the opportunity, he held his own, clocking averages of 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 23.4 minutes.
Based on the forward’s second-year numbers, the once training camp darling entered this season with starting aspirations back on the table. Now, the 24-year-old has been shunned from the regular rotation, and a new can of worms has been opened in Bricktown’s rebuilding process.
The 2021 NBA Draft. After a regular-season campaign that saw the Thunder tie for the fourth-worst record in the league, Thunder GM Sam Presti was expected to utilize his trio of first-round selections to move up the draft board – and net a big man. Instead, Presti pulled a reverse card selecting two guards in Josh Giddey and Tre Mann while trading the No. 16 Pick, center Alperen Sengun, for future draft capital. On the surface, Roby’s spot in the rotation seemed safe.
Then, the second round of action commenced.
Presti had his guy as soon as Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum took to the podium, and the asking price was not of issue. One pick into the second round, Presti’s sixth sense kicked in, and the Orlando Magic looked to be interested in their guy. In a bang-bang transaction, the Thunder shipped out their two high-caliber seconds, Picks No. 34 and 36 to the New York Knicks, in exchange for Pick No. 32 – Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
A feeling-out process took place in the frontcourt to begin the regular season. Opening the year, the Thunder didn’t have a set-and-stone starting five. Instead, they shuffled the deck between Roby, Robinson-Earl, Derrick Favors, and Mike Muscala. However, seven games into the season, Daigneault tipped his cap in Robinson-Earl’s direction – and he hasn’t looked back – starting in 36 of his last 40 games.
This decision has paid serious dividends for a 20-year-old Robinson-Earl. In the Villanova product’s patch of games, he’s sourced a bevy of potential at five averaging 7.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 33.3% shooting from deep. Additionally, he’s also been in the mix for some hardware, racking up a Rookie of the Month nomination in November.
Given Robinson-Earl stands a full three years younger than Roby, the decision to hand over the starting center reins adds up. The one stipulation to this change-up, Robinson-Earl is also a heavily undersized big at 6-foot-9. Add this with modern-day centers standing at seven feet, Daigneault needed to field true center minutes – essentially phasing Roby out of the rotation.
Isaiah Roby’s regular season has been laced with twists and turns. The third-year forward was with the Oklahoma City Blue in mid-November, churned out 16.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in two G League appearances, and looked to have regained his spot to start December, following a string of positive performances. That yearning had been crushed in a week.
This constant teetering of NBA and G League contests has left Roby in a rotational purgatory – he’s good enough to compete on the big stage – but a lack of minutes has kept him on the wayside.
Isaiah Roby has struggled to field minutes for the majority of the season.
His opportunity came three weeks ago.
The injury bug hit Oklahoma City’s frontcourt hard in mid-February. With key injuries to Robinson-Earl, Muscala, and recently Favors – Daigneault’s frontlines were severely weakened. In efforts to mitigate the damage, the Thunder placed Aleksej Pokusevski and inked Olivier Sarr for additional services. But, one man has outshined them all – Isaiah Roby.
In Wednesday’s matchup, in which Oklahoma City drubbed out nine active players, Isaiah Roby was tasked yet again with one of the league’s best, Nikola Jokic. The 6-foot-8 forward played up a few extra sizes. In the evening, Roby was a man on a mission. He opened the contest racking in the Thunder’s first 7-of-11 points, by halftime his point total rose to 13. At the final horn, Roby had doubled his last mark, setting a career-high 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while helping to snap Denver’s six-game winning streak. On the night, the forward’s career night, his play off of high-ball screens became apparent as his quick-first step garnered three easy roll assists, while his catch-and-shoot ability fetched a 4-of-5 output from three.
Friday evening spelled much of the same. Roby took right toward Karl-Anthony Towns, stuffing the stat sheet with 11 of the Thunder’s first 17 points. By the end of play, Roby netted his second-best scoring outing of his career, finishing the evening with 21 points on a 7-of-15 shot chart. To tag with the points, he also produced his third double-double of the year with 10 rebounds.
Through 12 games as the starter this season, Roby’s numbers pass the eye test. Placing averages of 11.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, the forward’s numbers impress, but his 52.1% output, coupled with a 14-of-24 (58.3% placement from deep might be even more of an accolade.
In all, Isaiah Roby has surpassed a bevy of his cohorts as his 11.3 points in the starting unit top Darius Bazley (9.2), Aaron Wiggins (8.8), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (7.6), and Derrick Favors (7.2).
As the Thunder continue to endure the injury list, Isaiah Roby will undoubtedly stay in the fold. Once Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is back; the script is unwritten. And based on past experiences, Roby’s placement is not a certainty.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has started in 36 of his 44 games this season.
The story of Isaiah Roby this season helps shed light on one of Oklahoma City’s biggest byproducts of their rebuild and what may continue leading into the future.
It’s clear as day Isaiah Roby has earned his spot in the regular rotation. With two solid seasons under his belt and spacing the floor becoming integral to Daigneault’s blueprint – he fits the mold. The problem – Jeremiah Robinson-Earl does too, and it’d be a major dice roll to run two traditional forwards at the five spot.
It’s a blessing and a curse for Roby being as versatile as he is. On one front, his 6-foot-8, 7-foot-3 wingspan frame makes him a viable option from the three-to-five. On the other hand, his tweener status is a near detriment, as both forward spots are also locked down. As for his rotational peers, look to Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, Vit Krejci, and Aaron Wiggins at the three, while Darius Bazley and Aleksej Pokusevski have clogged up the four spot. In-essence, he’s a Swiss-Army knife, but the Thunder already own the whole set of tools.
The trend of producers stuck on the outside looking in has occurred in the past, primarily with Theo Maledon’s relegation from minute leader to a G League staple – but his flaky NBA play resulted in that. In the case of Roby, performance is not the issue. It’s about the opportunity – and it’s been wavering.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder owning 38 draft picks, 19 of which being first-rounders, until 2028, the rebuild has just begun brewing in Bricktown. Through two seasons, the roster has gone with few hiccups. Regardless of performance, everyone has had their fair share of runs.
However, just as any organization would, the roster is expected to tighten as seasons progress, and opportunities will diminish. Roby may very well play upon Robinson-Earl’s return, but his sporadic season not only sets a light off for this season, but also those to come.
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