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Stirts finished with 26 points (9-16 FG, 6-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five assists and four rebounds in 38 minutes during Monday's 113-110 preseason loss to the Hawks.
Stirtz continues to impress, putting together another strong preseason performance. He has now scored 61 points through three appearances, at least putting himself on the radar in deeper formats. While he has certainly delivered on the offensive end, managers need to temper their expectations, given the fact that much of his production has come as a result of the usual starters playing very limited minutes.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Slated to start Monday
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Stirtz is in the starting lineup for Monday's preseason game against Atlanta, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman reports.
Stirtz will make his second preseason start with several Oklahoma City guards, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain, resting. The rookie is averaging 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 26.4 minutes per contest across two preseason appearances.
Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Scores 20 points off bench
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Stirtz posted 20 points (6-11 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 4-6 FT), five rebounds, two assists and a steal across 22 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's 128-126 preseason loss to the Bucks.
Stirtz capitalized on extended second-half opportunities and delivered another impressive showing, posting 15 points in 31 minutes in the preseason opener against the Pelicans on Tuesday. His shooting was particularly encouraging, although his minus-20 rating reflected the struggles of Oklahoma City's reserve-heavy lineup. Stirtz will need to build on these performances to earn consistent regular-season minutes in a competitive backcourt, but his first two preseason outings are certainly encouraging.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Back to bench
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Stirtz won't start Wednesday's preseason game against the Bucks, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports.
With the Thunder resting most of their key players, Stirtz played a team-high 31 minutes in Tuesday's preseason loss to the Pelicans, scoring a game-high 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-6 3Pt) and adding six assists and five rebounds. However, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace back in action, the rookie will return to a reserve role.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Paces OKC during Tuesday's loss
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Stirtz played a team-high 31 minutes in Tuesday's preseason loss to the Pelicans, scoring a game-high 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-6 3Pt) and adding six assists and five rebounds.
The Thunder rested many of their key rotation players Tuesday, allowing Stritz to handle a big workload as part of the starting backcourt. The 16th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft won't be seeing that sort of role once the games begin to count, but he's getting a chance to show OKC that he can contribute if given a chance.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Stirtz will start in Tuesday's preseason game against the Pelicans, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman reports.
Stirtz is getting the start with Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso all sitting out Tuesday's exhibition. Stirtz played well for the Thunder at Summer League, so it'll be interesting to see what he can do against tougher competition in the preseason.
Stirtz will miss the final two Summer League games, Rylan Stiles of SI.com reports.
The No. 16 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Stirtz is not dealing with an injury, but the Thunder are happy with the amount of reps he's received. Through five exhibitions, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Scores team-high 22 points in loss
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Stirtz finished with 22 points (8-16 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block across 30 minutes in Tuesday's 106-103 Summer League loss to the Nuggets.
Stirtz played well in his previous two Las Vegas Summer League appearances, but he was even better Tuesday, scoring a team-high 22 points. However, it wasn't enough to lift Oklahoma City to its first win of the summer. Stirtz needs to improve his three-point shooting while addressing his turnover issues. While the 22-year-old should get sporadic playing time during the 2026-27 campaign, he may have trouble finding consistent minutes.
Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Adds 13 points in SL loss
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Stirtz posted 13 points (5-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two assists and one rebound across 26 minutes in Sunday's 104-79 Summer League loss to the Warriors.
Stirtz struggled from beyond the arc but still led the Thunder in scoring, and he was one of just three Oklahoma City players to score in double figures. The rookie out of Iowa has now reached double-digit points in three of his four appearances between the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer Leagues.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Starting Friday
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Stirtz is starting in Friday's Las Vegas Summer League game versus the Lakers, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.
Stirtz skipped Tuesday's Salt Lake City Summer League finale, but he's back in action for the start of Oklahoma City's Las Vegas Summer League run. Through two games in Salt Lake City, Stirtz averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Paces OKC in Summer League loss
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Stirtz supplied 18 points (7-14 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two assists, one steal and one block across 28 minutes in Friday's 96-84 Summer League loss to the Lakers.
Stirtz turned in an efficient performance en route to a team-high 18 points, and he was the only Thunder player to score more than 12. The rookie out of Iowa delivered his highest-scoring performance of the summer Friday and has reached double figures in two of his three appearances between the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer Leagues. He'll likely face an uphill battle for a consistent role in a crowded Thunder backcourt during the 2026-27 campaign.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Inactive Tuesday
Rotowire
Stirtz (undisclosed) didn't play in Tuesday's 103-69 Salt Lake City Summer League loss to the Jazz.
Stirtz logged 29 minutes in the front end of this back-to-back set, so it's possible he was simply given a rest day Tuesday. His next opportunity to suit up will come when the Thunder open the Las Vegas Summer League against the Lakers on Friday.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Quiet outing in loss
Rotowire
Stirtz produced 10 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT) with four assists, three rebounds and three steals in 24 minutes of Sunday's 111-74 Salt Lake City Summer League loss to the Thunder.
The No. 16 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Stirtz had a well-balanced line despite the lopsided loss. The Thunder traded up for him and obviously rate him highly, but his path to minutes as a rookie is pretty crowded in Oklahoma City's stacked backcourt.
Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Headed to OKC after trade-up
Rotowire
The Grizzlies selected Stirtz with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded his rights to the Thunder, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
The Grizzlies will receive two second-round picks while trading down to the 17th overall pick in this year's draft. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City will bolster its backcourt depth. Stirtz began his career at Division II Northwest Missouri State before following head coach Ben McCollum to Drake and then Iowa. In his lone season with the Hawkeyes in 2025-26, the ball-dominant guard averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc in 37.8 minutes per contest across 37 games. Stirtz's standout campaign landed him All-Big Ten Second Team honors. He isn't guaranteed a meaningful role with the Thunder immediately, and he'll likely compete for playing time off the bench with the likes of Nikola Topic (back) and Jared McCain.
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