THUNDER REPORT CARD: VIT KREJCI
The Thunder traded for just-selected Vit Krejci on draft night 2020. The second-round pick was coming off major knee surgery, so he sat out the 2020-21 season. Krejci thus was a rookie this season. Our series of Thunder report cards continues with the 6foot-8 wing from the Czech Republic.
Defense: C
Krejci has length, but his steals (1.0 per 36 minutes), didn’t stick out. He fouled too much (3.4 per 36 minutes, highest among all the Thunder’s nonpost players). His defensive field-goal percentage was mediocre (.464); Aleksej Pokusevski’s was better. Krejci blocked few shots. He must improve defensively to stay in the league.
Corner 3’s: A
Krejci made nine of his 19 corner 3point shots. Only Isaiah Roby had a better OKC percentage among players with at least seven attempts on the shorter 3-point shot. Accuracy from the corner saved Krejci’s 3-point percentage; he made just 23 of 79 (.291) 3-point shots above the break. Of course, there’s a downside to Krejci’s corner shooting. Unlike, say, a Roby, Krejci’s playmaking potential is hampered if he’s in the corner.
Standing out: D
A valid question about Krejci after 30 NBA games is this. What exactly does he do? Krejci showed some signs of being a ballplayer. He wasn’t a bad passer. Wasn’t a terrible shooter. Seemed to have a nose for the game at times. But he didn’t stand out much of anywhere. It’s hard to know exactly what kind of player Krejci will be, much less how good he will be. Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Lindy Waters III. We have a sense of what type of player they will be, it’s just a question of what level they can reach. But with Krejci, there seemed to be no definition to his game. For players with abundant talent, that can be good. For players like Krejci, that can be not so good.
Rebounding: B
Krejci had a better rebounding rate (7.5) than most Thunder perimeter players. Which he should, at 6-8. Becoming an even bigger force on the glass could be a niche for Krejci.
Net rating: D
When Krejci was on the court, the Thunder was outscored by 12.2 points per 100 possessions. That’s ridiculously high, but the Thunder had a ridiculous season. A 24-58 record; a bunch of blowout losses early and a few blowout losses late. Still, Krejci’s net rating was the worst on the team, counting players who appeared in at least 10 games. And Krejci’s on/off differential was the second-worst on the squad – in games in which he played, OKC was outscored by 7.4 points per 100 possessions with Krejci on the bench. Only Darius Bazley had a bigger discrepancy.