As the the regular season approaches, new faces on the team are becoming more and more recognizable. One of the names becoming more popular is Alex Abrines. He was drafted by the Thunder as the 32nd pick in the 2013 draft.
Abrines was born in Palma, Spain in 1993, making him 23 years old. The young shooting guard started his professional career in 2010, playing for Clinicas Rincon in Spain. The next season, he signed with another team from Spain called Unicaja. After not much playing time and a bit of offensive struggles, Abrines’s career took a turn for the better.
In July of 2012, he signed a contract with FC Barcelona. During his first season with Barcelona, he averaged 5.1 points per game while shooting 45%. He also did not miss a free throw in the 15 games played that season.
Following up the completion of that season, the Thunder drafted Abrines. However, he stayed with FC Barcelona. Over the next two years, his game become more well-rounded, and his shooting improved drastically. During his last season with Barcelona, he averaged 9.3 points per game on 47% shooting from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.
After a long wait of three years, Alex Abrines finally signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 23rd, 2016. He has definitely showed his value and potential this preseason, most notably when he scored 19 points on 6-11 shooting against Memphis last week. The most impressive stat from his performance was his deep-ball shooting. Abrines knocked down 5-6 shots from beyond the arc. With his high shooting percentage and ability to spread the court, Abrines should be a huge asset for the Thunder this season.
Article written by Craig Hofeld. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter.