Semaj

Christon

The Thunder already have 15 guaranteed contracts and three point guards in Russell Westbrook, Cameron Payne and Ronnie Price, so this isn’t a surprise. We’ll keep an eye on his progress in the D-League.

Christon had been eyeing a bench role with the Thunder, but the team’s recent signing of Ronnie Price will likely send the 23-year-old to the D-League for the 2016-17 season. While Christon has a strong showing in summer league, he won’t be a fantasy factor this upcoming season.

Christon’s chances of making an impact went from remote to nonexistent with the arrival of Ronnie Price. He’ll be behind Russell Westbrook, Cameron Payne and Price on the depth chart.

The Thunder are in the market for a third-string point guard behind Russell Westbrook and Cameron Payne, and Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was Christon. He shot 10-of-14 from the field on Friday and had a strong week in Orlando, but he still won’t be a factor in fantasy leagues if he lands a deal with OKC.

Foot injuries can be tricky, so any setback in the recovery process would likely mean that Payne would begin the 2016-17 season on the sidelines. If Payne isn’t ready for opening night, Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo would get all the run they could handle, with Semaj Christon seeing some increased opportunity as the team’s backup point guard.

Price will serve as the third-string point guard on OKC’s roster, which will likely result in Semaj Christon spending a majority of his rookie year in the D-League. Price’s fantasy value is non-existent.

Christon still wouldn’t be anything more than the third-string point guard in OKC, with Ronnie Price set to soak up most of the reserve point guard minutes sans Payne, so he’s not worth drafting anywhere.

Christon shot 47.1 percent from the field during the summer league with averages of 16.8 points and 4.3 assists, but hit just 19 percent of his 3-point attempts while playing overseas in Italy. Christon showed some potential during the summer, but the Thunder complicated things by adding Ronnie Price in free agency. Unless the Thunder plan to keep four PGs, Christon may end up in the D-League or head overseas again.

He played seven minutes next to Russell Westbrook tonight, so Christon is getting some more depth to his role. In the previous five games, Christon only played a combined seven minutes next to Westy. The trust from coach Billy Donovan is a good sign for him if OKC has an injury to their first unit. Just keep an eye on him in most cases.

Price is still going through the league mandated concussion protocol testing, and he will not be able to return to the court until he’s cleared. Semaj Christon could get some decent run sans Price and Cameron Payne (foot).