The Thunder is making a trip to Orlando tomorrow, but it won’t be a 4th of July Weekend getaway.
With a roster of 14 players- some familiar faces and some newcomers- the Thunder will embark on a week-long trip to central Florida to participate in the Orlando Summer League, where the team will play five games in six days. Thunder.nba.com will be reporting on all of the games in Orlando, so look for Game Recaps and Q&A’s throughout the week. For now, here’s a breakdown of all 14 men on the Summer League roster.
#12 Steven Adams, center
The Thunder selected Adams, a 7-foot, 250-pound freshman out of the University of Pittsburgh with the number 12 overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft. The 19-year old New Zealander’s physicality and willingness to play with toughness in the paint at such a young age was attractive to the Thunder, in addition to his athleticism and catching ability.
#42 Ron Anderson, forward
Anderson is a 6-foot-9, 255-pound forward from the University of South Florida who spent last season with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers. Making 17 starts in 44 games, Anderson scored 6.0 points and grabbed 4.9 rebounds per game while dishing out 1.3 assists per contest. In two seasons at South Florida, the 23-year old averaged 6.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
#13 Dwight Buycks, guard
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Buycks, a guard from Marquette, played on the Thunder’s Summer League team last year and performed well. In 2011-12 Buycks was a member of the Tulsa 66ers, where he averaged 15.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 games while shooting 49.7 percent. Last season, Buycks was with the French squad Gravelines, where he scored 18.0 points, grabbed 3.2 rebounds, dished out 2.9 assists and snared 1.5 steals per game in 32 contests.
#15 Reggie Jackson, guard
Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound guard made a steady rise over the past two seasons after being selected 24th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. At the start of the 2012-13 campaign Jackson saw action with the Tulsa 66ers before being elevated to the backup point guard role and eventually taking on the starting job in the Playoffs after the injury to Russell Westbrook. In 11 Playoff games, Jackson averaged 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.9 percent.
#47 Grant Jerrett, forward
The Thunder acquired the 6-foot-10, 220-pound Jerrett after the 2013 Draft, when he was the number 40 overall selection. The Arizona product saw action in 34 games during his freshman season, when he scored 5.2 points, grabbed 3.6 rebounds and shot 40.5 percent from three-point range in 17.8 minutes per game. He was named the Gatorade California Player of the Year in his senior year of high school.
#3 Perry Jones, forward
Jones was the Thunder’s first round pick, number 28 overall, in the 2012 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward is athletic, quick and multi-talented. In his first year with the Thunder he averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game over 38 contests. He notched career-highs with 14 points and nine rebounds in the season finale against Milwaukee. In 15 games with the Tulsa 66ers, Jones averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals.
#8 Kyle Kuric, guard
Kuric is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard from Louisville who spent last season playing for Asefa Estudiantes in Madrid, Spain. His senior year at Louisville Kuric averaged 12.6 points per game and for his career he was a 37.7 percent three-point shooter. In 2012-13 in Spain, Kuric saw action in 33 games, averaging 11.2 points in 21.2 minutes per contest while shooting 60.4 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range.
#11 Jeremy Lamb, guard
The Thunder acquired Lamb in a trade just before the 2012-13 season began and the 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard spent time with both the Thunder and the Tulsa 66ers. In 23 regular season games, Lamb averaged 3.1 points in 6.4 minutes per game. In 21 contests with the 66ers, Lamb scored 21.0 points, grabbed 5.3 rebounds, handed out 3.0 assists and made 1.2 steals in 32.8 minutes of action. He also shot 49.0 percent from the field and 88.0 percent from the free throw line.
#14 DeAndre Liggins, guard
Liggins is a defensive-minded player whose energy was an asset to the Thunder during the 2012-13 season. The 25-year old out of the University of Kentucky uses his 6-foot-6, 209-pound frame to make things difficult on his opponent both in games and practices. Liggins saw action in 39 games for the Thunder, averaging 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game. He made his first career start in a win at Portland, where he scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds while playing a game-high 40 minutes.
#33 Daniel Orton, center
The 6-foot-10, 255-pound Orton is an Oklahoma City native who attended Bishop McGuinness High School before going to the University of Kentucky. Last season Orton saw action in 13 games for the Thunder, scoring 2.5 points and grabbing 2.0 rebounds in 8.0 minutes of action. In 29 games with the Tulsa 66ers, Orton averaged 12.5 points, 7.8rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.2 blocks while shooting 53.4 percent.
#21 Andre Roberson, forward
Roberson is a 6-foot-7, 190-pound wing player who ranked second in the entire country in rebounding during his junior year at the University of Colorado. For his career, Roberson averaged 9.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. The Thunder acquired Roberson by trading up for the 26th overall selection in the 2013 Draft. Roberson was also the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13.
#44 Andrew Smith, center
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Smith is a product of Butler University, and was a member of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 teams that made it to the National Championship game. For his career, the senior averaged 8.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor. In 2012-13 he started 35 games and was a second-team Academic All-America selection.
#2 Michael Snaer, guard
Snaer played four seasons at Florida State University, where he started 110 of his 134 games played and was known for his defense and three-point shooting. For his career the 6-foot-5, 180 pound guard scored 11.6 points, grabbed 3.4 rebounds and dished out 2.0 assists while shooting 38.2 percent from the three-point line, highlighted by his junior year when he shot 40.4 percent from deep.
#7 Tony Taylor, guard
Drafted by the Tulsa 66ers in the second round of the 2012 NBADL Rookie Draft, the 6-foot, 191-pound Taylor followed up an impressive four-year career with George Washington University with a solid season in Tulsa. Taylor averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 assists per game in 50 contests. He started 24 times for the 66ers, and his averages jumped to 11.2 points and 5.4 assists per outing in five Playoff games with Tulsa.