Trailing the play, Bennett Stirtz was left wide open at the top of the key. As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contorted himself to kick it out, the 23-year-old paid off his trust. He swished in another outside jumper in the final seconds of the third quarter. That capped off his best night in the NBA yet.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to build up positive momentum with a 124-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They're adjusting to life without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace for the foreseeable future.
Stirtz finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, one rebound and one assist. He shot 4-of-7 from 3. He also had two steals.
Opportunities always arise after catastrophic injuries. Once again, the Thunder are learning that firsthand
through another year. Stirtz is the latest example. Not much was expected from him at the start of the regular season, but several absences have pushed him to be a vital rotation piece. This was the first glimpse of OKC's vision for his eventual long-term role.
Stirtz absolutely lit it up from the outside. He needed very little time or space to put up a shot attempt. Gilgeous-Alexander kept feeding him the ball and he kept knocking it down. He had 10 points in the first half as the Thunder ballooned their lead by as many as 25 points.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has encouraged Stirtz to put up shot attempts. Not only is he one of the most talented outside shooters, but he is also one of the best ways to keep the offense going. His outside jumper has helped him go from a D-II to an NBA player over his last four years.
"He's let it rip and is a threat out there. He's learning how to move aggressively off the ball, kinda the way McCain does. Those guys that shoot with that gravity," Daigneault said about Stirtz. "They can really hunt shots and with the attention that our guards draw, specifically Shai."
It wasn't just the outside jumpers, either. Stirtz was active across the board. His best highlight was a steal-and-score layup. This is going to take a committee approach as Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell are the clear two best scorers for now. Beyond those two, though, the rest of their scoring has to come from a bundle of different role players on a night-to-night basis. That includes the 23-year-old if he's up to the challenge. The minutes are there.
"Each game, I think all the young guys are getting more and more comfortable," Stirtz said. "So we're still trying to get there. It's early on in the season. We've got a long way to go, but this is a step in the right direction."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Bennett Stirtz has NBA-best night as Thunder get another win over Cavaliers
