The Thunder’s rookie guard continues to play efficiently to start the season. 

Oklahoma City had a rough outing on Tuesday night, as the squad dropped its third game of the year, this time to the Portland Trail Blazers, 123-103. It was a tight match at halftime, with both teams tied at 59, but it would soon get out of hand as the Trail Blazers scored 38 in the third quarter, running away with the game. 

It was hard for Oklahoma City to stop Portland’s three-point mirage, as the team shot 50 shots from downtown and made 19 of them. Even though this was a rough outing for the Thunder as a whole, that doesn’t mean there weren’t good individual performances throughout. 

It didn’t end up making a big difference in the greater picture of the bout, but rookie Bennett Stirtz showcased once again how he can perform efficiently for Oklahoma City. Stirz had a solid 13 points in just 18 minutes of action for OKC, all while shooting 62.5% from the field. The first-year guard racked up one rebound, one assist and even a steal for OKC, trying to contribute in as many areas as possible. 

Efficiency has been the key to Stirtz’s game to begin the season, as the Iowa product came into Tuesday night’s bout shooting 47.2% from the field and 44.4% from downtown. Stirtz has remained a hot hand for OKC, and although he hasn’t scored many points, he has been reliable down the stretch whenever the Thunder have called his number. 

OKC has used Stirtz as a supporting player to help fill in for the injured Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams. The young guard hasn’t quite perfected his playmaking abilities or his defensive abilities, but he has been a steady hand for the Thunder to lean on when shooting the ball. This has taken some of the pressure off Thunder guard Jared McCain and could be the reason he has dropped the three-point shooting slump he was in earlier this season. 

With how he has continued to play, Stirtz could start to see his number called a lot more often. OKC is constantly trying to find the best lineup and who can step up in the moment, and one of those guys might turn out to be Stirtz. He has already proven he can be efficient, and maybe eventually he will be in a position where that efficiency could lead the Thunder to wins as the season goes on.