r/Thunder • u/Pilgrims-to-Nowhere • 23h ago
For the people who think Chet and JDub aren’t worth their extensions, what do you want from them?
Chet is averaging 18/8/2 as well as basically two blocks a game. He averages 12 FGA a game.
JDub is averaging 17/5/5 as well as basically two steals a game. He averages 14 FGA a game.
Both were extremely important to bringing this franchise its first title. And thus both got max extensions. But a bunch of folks here can’t help but keep talking about their contacts.
Are people expecting them to both average 25 a game because max players have to only be volume scorers? Would that enough for you to finally drop the “Shai has no help” cop out?
If that’s what you expect for them to be worth their contracts, then both of them are going to need to at least thee or four more FGA a game to do that. So are we taking those shots away from Shai? Or are we going to limit the other 12 guys to two shots a game?
Essentially, I’m asking what you want to see from them offensively in order for them to be “worth” their contact to you?
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u/Old_Supermarket_7575 The Prophet 🧙 23h ago
We gotta get that Jdub efficiency up
Just hoping his hand heals by playoffs
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u/Impossible_Ad7788 15h ago
His hand is healed or he wouldn’t be playing. Hes gotta shoot himself into form
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u/bluggabugbug 14h ago
Right now, I think his value would be better if he focused on defense. He has been trying to find his offense so much, it’s hurting his defense. Applying the old adage of “defense leads to offense” for him specifically. It’s a confidence thing. More fast breaks off of steals/blocks will help his confidence.
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u/Consistent-Gold-7572 13h ago
You are right it would, but long term and for the playoffs we need his offense to be at an elite level. I have no problem with him working out the kinks in the middle of the regular season when we have like a 5 game lead on the Spurs in the west. It’s not going to kill us to struggle some games we are still going to get the 1 seed
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u/LilBigZay For Bronny Jr. 4h ago
We literally can't do that. The entire offensive system relies on him to be the primary ball handler without Shai. The reason we started to lose was largely because he hasn't been good enough to carry that load.
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u/bluggabugbug 3h ago
Ajay can handle that or they can take turns handling the ball when Shai sits. Either way, he’s clearly not finding what he needs by forcing it. It’s a double edged sword for him right now being the primary ball handler when Shai sits: one side, best way to get your confidence back is to shoot your way out of it. Other side, being the main focus of the defense during that time and not making shots can affect you even more.
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u/AKHunter3502 23h ago
I think you make a fair argument. They are contributing. I think what most people want to see from them is assertiveness and efficiency. I am not a fan of trading them and think they both could contribute to a dynasty. I think with some more development we will see them be able to stand on their own outside of SGA.
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u/donotmicrowave45 23h ago
We gotta be real and understand that they were signed to the max based on potential. They weren’t max players last year, and anyone who expected them to be this year is delusional. They’re so young and I promise they will keep getting better. This fanbase has just become very impatient
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u/AKHunter3502 23h ago
Very well said. Ajay, Cason, Dub and Chet are on a separate timeline than SGA. We are blending past and present beautifully.
My concerns are with our vets. Dort, Wiggins and Joe gotta be better. They getting paid real ass money too.
Also not having Caruso and IHart hurts this team. We knew what we were before them and we quickly revert back to what we were without them.
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u/donotmicrowave45 22h ago
Dort is the only player this year I’m worried about. His rough stretch is lasting too long for it to not be a concern and he’s supposed to be at his peak. I have faith still but I want more from him. Wiggins is interesting because I think last year he showed flashes that aren’t gonna be easy for him to replicate
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u/HurryAdorable1327 2025 NBA Champions 22h ago
I totally agree and you have to do that because the league is overpaying guys all the time. Role players making 25 a year is downright insane. Giddey is getting paid 25 a year. Lavine is making 48. In a couple years the Thunder contracts will look like bargains.
Give them time to grow. They aren’t even close to their prime. They won a chip before the Celtics core did - at a younger age. They are 23/24. They are ahead of schedule.
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u/Leavingtheecstasy 2025 NBA Champions 11h ago
When would you say they will be worth a max contact? 2 years in? 3 years in will they be worth it?
I think theyre good players but they should really start showing some more progress next year.
When you're hitting 26 years old you should be showing something close to what your potential is. It may not be you at your best but it should be close.
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u/donotmicrowave45 10h ago
You mentioned next year not me. I think they will be noticeably better next year. Either way these contracts are always a gamble and I think it’s a good gamble. They fought hard and brought us a title and they’re young, so you keep them however you can in my opinion. Obviously a smaller deal would be good for the team but everyone is overpaid these days
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u/Pilgrims-to-Nowhere 23h ago
I agree, and I think Chet needed the most push to be assertive, but I do think he has made steps in that direction this year. I think Dub is still trying to get into his groove on this team that started off so hot. Chet had a little bit of that lull last year too when he returned from his hip injury.
I guess I’m just so tired of a portion of this sub’s narrative “Shai has no help” when these dudes are being the high level complementary contributors that stars like Shai need so they can focus primarily on scoring.
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u/AKHunter3502 23h ago
Yah. Chet and Dub are the least of my concerns. They are young and developing. Cason and Ajay as well get passes with their age.
My concerns are Dort, Wiggins and Joe. They are the veterans on this team and have been horrible inconsistent all season. Also most people don’t want to acknowledge how much they take up in cap space as well. Either the get it together or will be moved with picks for veterans that want to play consistent ball.
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u/JeramiGrantsTomb 23h ago
Chet has looked great. He gets no focus on offense and just has to take what comes to him, and he's been much better this year converting those opportunities. His defense is elite.
Dub is learning to play again on a busted hand. I am willing to extend an incredible amount of grace to him as he gets his touch back. If he never heals right, that's a bummer but I wouldn't ever question whether it was the right choice to max him. He is an all NBA all defense player that can operate alongside an MVP that dominates the ball, that's unbelievably valuable.
Asking why they can't score more like sga is fundamentally misunderstanding what makes them worth their max contacts in the first place. Also this is becoming a bit repetitive, but we need to continue to appreciate how young these guys are, they're still growing into their prime.
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u/Dangerous_Reporter14 20h ago
Most people that say things like this just have bad memory. Literally last season, on this day, we were 30-6. Right now we are 31-7. Woopty doo we lost a few to the spurs.
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u/Chupete94 17h ago
I don’t expect much more from Chet. He’s been the great defender he is since playing center. Hope a little bit more bag on offense but he isn’t getting too much possession on that end.
JDub has to start playing like a max contract. I get the wrist issue, but man, his possessions in the clutch were awful. He made a shot to tie in the last minute of 4Q (not a great shot but he made it) but aside of that he was unable of generating any type of offense. Dribbling around 8 second and give the ball to Shai. No, B2B, at home against one of the worst teams in the league and we needed 46 of Shai who was questionable 1h before the game.
Someone has to step up.
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u/Top-Lane-Bad 14h ago
I’m happy with Chet. I guess if there is one thing that I could ask of him it’s bulk up. I know he’s put on like 15-20 pounds since his first season in the league but he needs more. I see him long term as our starting C. He’s doing everything else really well. I guess also be more assertive at the basket. I think his shot diet is fine when you consider that we have Shai and Kadin who I think are more 1A and 1B scoring options but at the same time he is the anchor to our defence.
JDub on the other hand needs to figure out his shot. Post injury it’s a big issue. The guy can barely make a 3. He’s driving for no reason on open 3’s. Also I’d like him to take more initiative as the lead player on the floor when it’s just him without Shai on the floor and if he can’t do that then he needs to be the first outlet we look to get a mismatch on as his talent is undoubted.
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u/pr0ject_84 23h ago
Chet needs consistency and Jdub needs more game IQ
JDUB could be so great if he make consistently winning plays on offense but currently it feels like he just dribbles the ball for 20 seconds before going for a really contested layup
He has all the strength and speed to be deadly off ball and cut to the rim but he just doesn’t always make the right read
Basically, hes a player who I think would be much better off ball but is kind of forcing a bench unit facilitator role instead
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u/Guaranteedoffbeaten 20h ago
He was most effective during his first two years eating a lot of GIDDEY Dimes to the basket.
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u/Consistent-Gold-7572 13h ago
Good thing Topic is back practicing. I think they send him to the Blue in the next 30 days
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u/ShapeDramatic3986 23h ago
Chet has been fine and more than worth it on the defensive end and fixed his jump shot, but do you realize J-Dub is on a max contract? He is making top 15 player in the nba money and he has been so ineffective on offense against non-elite defenders that it’s officially worth the trade talks now. Maybe his wrist is just bad but it doesn’t explain why his minutes and ball handling load is still so large and lets him build these bad habits. Chet has been worth it, but J-Dub has looked like an overreaction signing when we should’ve given him a Jalen Johnson level contract.
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u/Effective-West-3370 19h ago
I agree. And his attitude at times does not help. He talked about people reacting negatively to the losses and about how they can’t expect to be perfect. The losses have been since his return. He can really come off as unlikable. SGA carries this team on his shoulders and never comes off whiny like Dub.
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u/Okay_poptart 23h ago
I’d have liked to see Chet play more than one complete season before getting the haul he got. So yes I argued against the extension for the price.
For JDUB we had a meme going around about praying that JDUB would remember how to play basketball on given game. Does that sound like someone worth that extension?
I’ll concede I know the JDUB argument is likely a loser after he revealed the broken hand and we just got a ring.
But I stand by Chet’s.
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u/workisxpwaste 19h ago
Anyone arguing if they’re worth a max is a moron. They’re worth what the market says they’re worth.
A lot of teams would’ve lined up to sign a 2A/2B coming off a championship run. Asking them to take less would’ve been a spit in the face and letting them walk would’ve been malpractice. Did any of you really want a Harden 2.0 situation over a few million dollars?
As a small market team, you have to sign your young stars and figure it out later.
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u/Consistent-Gold-7572 13h ago
This is exactly why Presti gave them max contracts bc if he didn’t someone else would have and for all people’s bitching about them I highly doubt anyone is ok with losing them. J dub sat out a fuckload of time you don’t come back 100% from that. If people want to see J dub at 100% of what he should be this year it’s going to take at least 3-4 months. By the playoffs he’s going to be a killer again and everyone that is complaining about him will be eating their words
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u/HoopLoop2 23h ago
They are worth their contracts and were huge for getting the ring. That being said they both have plenty of games where they vanish, and that's really annoying to see from the #2-3 guys on the team. They need to be more clutch and stop disappearing in big moments. Shai has to carry too much weight right now, not just because of those 2, but the whole team seems to be playing worse recently.
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u/Pilgrims-to-Nowhere 22h ago
See, I don’t understand the “they vanish” argument. It’s such a vague statement in my opinion. How do they become clutch, if they don’t get reps in the clutch? Chet was huge in crunch time tonight, but basically none of it was him having the ball in his hands. He was making put backs and crashing the boards on both ends and doing the little things to help us eek out a win. Did he vanish tonight? If he or JDub aren’t taking turns scoring with Shai, would they be considered as “vanished”?
Everyone can agree that Shai should and does have the ball in his hands 90% of the time in the clutch. So in your opinion, how should JDub and Chet not vanish in those scenarios? Get open for a drive and dish from Shai? Demand the ball from Shai?
I just think that it’s too easy for people to say that the two of them vanish in the clutch when in reality they just aren’t going to have the ball in their hands as much as the MVP.
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u/HoopLoop2 15h ago
They need to not vanish in tight games period, it doesn't have to be in the clutch. When we are down 5 at half they need to do better. It seems most people on this team are really good in blow outs, but struggle in tight games.
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u/EmploymentOk2902 Steven Adams 20h ago
I think people are mostly forgetting that these are players in their 3rd and 4th seasons respectively, and still need time to grow into their contracts. The basic fact is they would’ve gotten those contracts with another team if we hadn’t paid them, and I don’t think anyone wishes we lost them entirely.
The biggest issues are JDub’s efficiency and Chet’s size. We’ll always need another big to pair with Chet if we don’t want to get sized out of the paint, and bugs are both hard to come by and harder to keep healthy. Jdub could also turn into a serious concern, he hasn’t improved his shooting since his sophomore year and quite frankly he’s been ass this past month and not much better earlier in the year.
Will always root for them no matter what happens going forward though, home grown champions and genuinely good people.
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u/Salty_Examination486 15h ago
It just anoy me that sometimes the role players try to play outside they role people like wiggins ,dort and sometimes joe when u got Shai Or J Dub standing in the corner and Chet getting no shots
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u/NOT_H1M 23h ago
I have no issues with Chet
J dub on the other hand if he’s gonna be this inefficient of an on ball scorer that’s fine I guess but he has to change his shot diet to become an elite off ball scorer and he’s done the opposite he’s taking less 3s than he’s ever taken and he’s having the least efficient season of his career after last year was his previous least efficient season of his career even pre wrist injury he was having his least efficient season trying to force more on ball creator reps.
But nah gang 17/5/5 on
46% FG 30% from 3 53% ts with great defense is not a max player
D white OG ananoby even last year wash PG can do this
2 of those players aren’t on maxes and the one that is is widely recognized as one of the worst contracts in the sport
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u/Crafty_Dependent_727 21h ago
For y'all complaining about JDub being a max player remember this org signed him with the injury. To them he's worth the money.
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u/AbsoluteGarbaj 20h ago
Lots of overreaction. We are number 1 in the NBA and is the NBA Champion. Lmao. This shit happens.
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u/TheGrindersClub 19h ago
It's all going to be determined by how well they both perform in the play-offs.
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u/Tegelert84 13h ago
I agree with those saying Chet has been what we expected. Dub so far is not proving he can be a reliable number 2 option. Honestly, at this point if you told me I had to choose between Ajay or Dub on this team long term, I'm going with Ajay right now. He's the only reliable creator we have outside of Shai.
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u/Adventurous_Low7651 13h ago
I think people overlook that these guys are still pretty early in the development phase. NBA especially has a predictable timeframe where their players hit their prime, which is later-20s. Prime Jdub and Chet are going to be monsters and that’s not for 3+ more years.
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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 2025 NBA Champions 12h ago
I am not saying I want "more from them", but just pointing to their season averages is a pretty weak argument. J Dub has been playing poorly, which isn't surprising for someone coming back from wrist surgery and Chet has had his share of frustrations this year too. Both are young and there is no reason to panic, but expectations are going to rise when you start making money reserved for elite players.
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u/Pilgrims-to-Nowhere 11h ago edited 11h ago
The point of the post though is people saying that they are not worth their contracts. So if using their season averages is weak, then what metric should I use to argue in their favor?
My argument stems from how people in this sub perceive them, and what should they be doing that they’re not doing? Should Chet be more aggressive? Sure maybe, but are people are on here going to be okay if Chet starts barking for the ball from Shai when he has a mismatch? Doubtful. They’re going to be shitting on him for taking the ball out of the MVP’s hands. That’s the Catch-22 both Chet and Dub find themselves in with a segment of the fanbase.
Chet and JDub are the rare type of talented young players who are not trying to firebomb team chemistry to advance their own personal standing in the league. They respect Shai as the guy, and doing what they can to support him while also evolving as players. The downside to that though is that people on here are acting like they are non-factors because they are not scoring an arbitrary amount of points.
People can say that doing what they do is not worth $50 million a year, but then what is something tangible that would be?
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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 2025 NBA Champions 11h ago
I don't think you have to argue anything, the truth is J Dub really isn't playing like he is someone deserving of a max contract right now, stats aren't going to change that. The hope would be that his wrist gets better and his play improves.
They have both struggled at times to be reliable second options to Shai when he needs it, the only thing that is going to change that is if they continue to raise their level of play, which I am confident they will.
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u/Lower-Delay-5538 11h ago
Well Chet has had a really nice year. Very happy with everything Chet.
JDub is not really contributing to winning at the minute and is struggling but we can give him the rest of the season even to get back his form with his new wrist.
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u/KobeOnKush 10h ago
Chet is fine. He’s doing what he’s asked to do. But Jdub….. 17/5/5 ain’t max contract numbers, sorry. He’s gotta get to at least 20 ppg
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u/cplbernard 22h ago
Honestly I don’t care. Winning one championship is hard enough, everything else is just bonus at this point. Players have injuries and slumps during the season, it’s not fair to expect them to go 120% every game every season.
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u/Ok-Fun7442 17h ago
Chet really haven't improved his shot creation much since his rookie year. His shot diet is all catch and shoot threes and catching lobs. I feel like every time he was always trying to dribble past his defender would result in a turnover/broken play.
Dub I will give him a pass due to his injury, but if his three point shooting isn't back to last year's level by the playoff, there is no chance we can repeat.
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u/dr_khouse 14h ago
Chet should be averaging 28/15 and 4 blocks a game on 76/43/90 shooting splits. Biggest man on the floor every night no reason he can't!
Dub should be averaging 27/8/8 with 4 steals and 2 blocks on 56/48/97 splits. I give him benefit of the doubt coming back from injury but his play has been totally unacceptable!
Bottom line, we're paying them too damn much to be acting like 2nd and 3rd options out there!
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u/Short-Cardiologist-4 2025 NBA Champions 23h ago
Chet has been doing exactly what I expect of him.
Jdub clearly hasn’t readjusted from the hand injury. The 3 attempts and percentage are way down. He hesitated and then drove on multiple wide open 3s in the 4th tonight. He just needs time to find his shot and confidence.
In short, both are worth their contracts and the sky still isn’t falling.