The Oklahoma City Thunder signed Christoph Tilly to an Exhibit 10 deal, and his playstyle and skill set could greatly benefit his fellow rookies as they develop together with the Blue.
The Oklahoma City Thunder signed center Christoph Tilly to an Exhibit-10 contract. Tilly was a four-year college player, spending three years at Santa Clara before transferring and finishing his college career at Ohio State. In those four years, Tilly averaged almost 10 points with just over four rebounds and almost two assists per game.
While the Thunder have one remaining roster spot, that is most likely not the reason that Tilly was brought in. He’ll spend training camp with the Thunder before probably heading to the Oklahoma City Blue once the season starts, where he could be a very impactful player.
Tilly played six summer league games with Oklahoma City this past summer, showing some intriguing skill for a true seven-footer. He averaged six points, just under three rebounds, and just over an assist in 15 minutes per game. While those numbers don’t jump off the page to the average viewer, there’s more reason to be excited about Tilly in the Thunder organization than you might think.
First, as mentioned, he is a true 7-footer who, in his time in the summer league, showed good ability to score and finish at the rim. What sticks out more is his knack for playmaking, which is so rare at his size. Tilly likely won’t develop into some significant piece for the Thunder, but his skill set will be beneficial as a teammate when it comes to the development of guys like Bennett Stirtz and Nikola Topiċ, as well as all the other players on the Blue roster.
The next reason is the potential he has as an individual player. It’s not a secret that the Thunder have had plenty of success with late second-round picks as well as undrafted free agents due to their ability to develop better than most other organizations. Tilly is a guy who does so many things well that you can never rule out that he becomes a small contributor in OKC or somewhere else down the line.
Is it likely that Tilly is the long-term replacement to Hartenstein? Not at all, but in no way does that make him less exciting as an older prospect. In his short stint in the summer league, he proved to be someone people enjoyed watching and provided the occasional “wow” moment, often due to his playmaking. Even if you never see him on the court in a Thunder jersey, that doesn’t mean he has no potential for positively impacting this organization.
