We’ve talked a lot this off season about the young talent on the Thunder roster. Today, let’s take a look at Josh Huestis who wears #34 for Oklahoma City.
Huestis didn’t win any championships in high school or make any major lists. Instead, he was just a three star recruit who ended up working his way to a spot on the Stanford basketball team.
He played all four years of his eligibility at Stanford. Keep in mind that he wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, so immediate playing time was not something Josh received. However, after putting in a lot of work, he was named to the Pac-12 Defensive Team both his junior and senior years. Over the span of 135 games at Stanford, Josh averaged 7.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. When it was all said and done, Huestis was the all-time leading shot blocker in Stanford history.
Josh was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 29th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Huestis was assigned to the D-League where he was a standout. In his debut, he recorded 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. It only got better for Huestis, after 46 games he had averaged 10.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.1 assists per game. Those efforts were enough to earn him a shot in the big leagues. On July 30th, 2015 Huestis finally earned his contract with Oklahoma City.
Since earning his contract with the Thunder, Huestis has been sent down to the Oklahoma City Blue several times. He has made an appearance in several Thunder games, but was never given enough time to have an impact on the turnout. Now that Huestis has a few years of NBA experience, I expect this year to be his biggest season yet.
Josh Huestis could have a huge impact off the bench this season for the Thunder. Being able to use Huestis on the bench would add tremendous depth to the roster. His ability to protect the rim and defend beyond the arc makes him an excellent defender. Will he be the missing piece the Thunder has needed off the bench? We will find out in 34 days.
Article written by Craig Hofeld. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.