In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.
The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.
Buy Thunder TicketsLet’s assign three goals for Jack White. The second-year player will fight for a roster spot throughout training camp and preseason. He spent significant time in the G League last season.
After being on a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets last season, White was signed to a partially guaranteed deal by the Thunder.
Make the roster
When Victor Oladipo gets moved, the Thunder still need to make two more cuts to their roster to finalize a 15-player group.
Reviewing the roster, White looks like he’ll be on the bubble. The 26-year-old went undrafted in 2020. After being on a two-way deal with the Nuggets last season, OKC signed him to a partially guaranteed two-year deal.
He’ll need to have an impressive training camp and preseason to make it past roster cuts. Due to his contract, he can’t sign a two-way deal with OKC.
Dominate G League
If White makes the roster, he’ll likely spend significant time with the G League’s OKC Blue. That was also the case for him last season with the Nuggets’ G League squad.
White will need to go to the Blue and dominate against G League talent. He did exactly that last season with the Grand Rapid Golds, with whom he averaged 20.9 points and 9.6 rebounds in 14 games.
This will be the best way to continue his NBA career, as he’ll likely be on the outside of the Thunder rotation.
Be a good locker room presence
If White survives roster cuts, he’ll be near the end of the bench, which means he will not receive much NBA playing time barring health issues for teammates.
If that’s the case, White will need to be a good off-court player. He’ll earn his paycheck by being a good locker-room presence and being a teammate favorite.
He’s already off to a good start with this. He’s close with fellow Australian Josh Giddey. Thankfully for White, nothing shows that he’ll have a personality problem.
