Darius Bazley’s return to the basketball court after forgoing college and the G League, as well as Hamidou Diallo’s shot may have been the focal points of the 2019 NBA Summer League for the Oklahoma City Thunder following the Paul George and Russell Westbrook trades as the team prepares for a rebuild. But there was another player who impressed in Las Vegas: Kevin Hervey.
The 6-foot-9 forward was a second-round draft selection for Oklahoma City at No. 57 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. He then spent all of 2018-19 with the Oklahoma City Blue, where he averaged 11 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.41 blocks and 1.31 steals per game.
In his second shot with the Thunder’s Summer League squad, Hervey showed further growth. The forward led Oklahoma City with 15.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Hervey also showed the improvements he made from three last season stuck. In the 2018 Summer League, Hervey shot 26.3 percent from deep, then 31.5 percent with the Blue. This summer, he shot 32 percent in Las Vegas.
With the Thunder in rebuild mode, Hervey is the type of player who should get a shot on the NBA roster.
Winning isn’t a priority in 2019-20 with Westbrook and George gone. Plus, the team largely acquired future draft picks, rather than current players, in the moves made this offseason. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only player Oklahoma City acquired this summer who will likely be part of the Thunder’s future plans. Danilo Gallinari will get his minutes, as will Chris Paul if he’s not traded, but Oklahoma City can manage their workload to favor the team’s younger players.
With there being the opportunity, Hervey’s play and approach at Summer League, combined with his athleticism and length, should warrant him a spot on the team to start 2019-20.
