Veteran ahead JaMychal Inexperienced is finishing a contract buyout with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and plans to signal with the Golden State Warriors upon clearing waivers, sources instructed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Inexperienced was traded to the Thunder from the Denver Nuggets on draft evening, however Thunder basic supervisor Sam Presti instructed reporters he would attempt to discover a new group for Inexperienced that may be a greater match.
Inexperienced’s arrival in Golden State would give the Warriors a stretch-four and floor-spacer who will fill the voids left by Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr. He may additionally see minutes at heart in some small-ball lineups.
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Inexperienced averaged 6.4 factors on 48 % capturing and 4.2 rebounds in 16 minutes per recreation for the Nuggets final season.
NORMAN — Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh closed down a recruiting cycle to remember on Wednesday.
When OU head coach Brent Venables took the podium for his National Signing Day press conference at 11 a.m., the Sooners had four lineman in the boat — 4-star offensive tackle Ryan Fodje, 3-star interior offensive linemen Darius Afalava and Owen Hollenbeck and preferred walk on Sean Hutton.
By 3 p.m., 5-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi cemented himself as the jewel of the Sooners’ entire 2025 recruiting class by reaffirming his commitment and intention to sign with the program.
Speaking of the group in general, Venables labeled OU’s new offensive line class as “mature”, and they’ll need to be.
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The 2024 season showed just how quickly linemen can be called into action as redshirt freshmen Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta got thrown into the fire in the SEC.
That duo improved throughout the season and gained valuable experience, and now Bedenbaugh’s new crop of linemen can file in behind them and prepare to take over one day.
Fasusi, who has NFL potential written all over him, and Fodje might be the most talented pair of high school recruits Bedenbaugh has landed in the same class.
And while Venables couldn’t officially speak about Fasusi at the time of his press conference on Wednesday, he was effusive in his praise for Fodje.
“I think (Fodje’s) one of the most undervalued offensive linemen in all of high school football,” Venables said. “A guy that we identified at camp a few years ago, a few summers back and coach Bedenbaugh did a great job of putting his name on him and offering him. He’s developed and he’s one of the most dominant players in the country.”
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Fodje rose through the rankings, finishing as the nation’s 68th-ranked recruit for On3 and the No. 87-overall player with 247Sports, and once he adds more muscle to his 6-foot-5, 275-pound frame, the Cypress, TX, lineman looks the part of a physical SEC tackle.
Along the interior, Bedenbaugh signed a longtime commit in Hollenbeck.
“(Hollenbeck) was forced out of position this year but probably will be a center for us and one of the strongest high school football players in the country,” Venables said. “He’s a powerlifting champ, this is a guy that can move mountains But a guy that we’re really excited about his physical attitude, mental attitude, all of those things. A really good player.”
The Melissa, TX, product played high school ball with defensive lineman Nigel Smith II, and will bring some muscle to the heart of Oklahoma’s offensive line.
Bedenbaugh then trekked west to land Afalava from Lehi, UT.
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“(Afalava’s) the top lineman in the state of Utah. Big, strong, powerful,” Venables said. “Comes from another great program and that group overall is just powerful, athletic, incredibly physical and physically tough.”
Fasusi’s high school teammate, Hutton, will be headed to Norman as well from the Lone Star State.
“Sean Hutton from Lewisville, Lewisville’s been a good place for the Sooners over the years,” Venables said. “Sean’s a versatile inside-outside player being undervalued. Tough kid. Can really move his feet and really excited about Sean.”
This class comes at the right time for Bedenbaugh.
Winning in the SEC starts at the line of scrimmage, and while his history of producing NFL talent is sterling, many factors came together to stunt the growth of the offensive line in 2024.
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Injuries struck, which when paired with small recruiting classes and recruiting misses in the final years of the Lincoln Riley era, meant the Sooners were thin up front and needed brand new transfers to quickly settle in Bedenbaugh’s unit.
While the results were poor in the first half of the season, the experienced gained was invaluable in building an offensive line that is ready to compete in 2025.
And despite Oklahoma signing a smaller 2025 class, finishing with 18 scholarship players, Bedenbaugh’s additions remained high in quality and quantity.
The Sooners, under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, will have a new quarterback in 2025 as Jackson Arnold is reportedly set to enter the transfer portal.
No matter who is taking the snaps in Norman, Bedenbaugh took a major step toward supporting OU quarterbacks of the future with a competitive offensive line on Wednesday.
Just a few days on the job, and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is making his presence felt. On the first day of the early signing period, the Oklahoma Sooners added quarterback Jett Niu, who signed with the Sooners Wednesday.
Niu was originally committed to Appalachian State before flipping to Oklahoma State in September. Niu received an offer from Arbuckle and Washington State back in January, and now the Sooners have added the high-upside quarterback to their 2025 recruiting class.
Niu has good size for the position at 6-foot-2 and is an accurate passer. He throws with anticipation and does a great job targeting the middle of the field. He’s got a quick release. Niu is a good athlete who displays the ability to extend plays and pick up yards in the scramble game.
Film
Hudl
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Rating
Stars
Overall
Position
State
ESPN
3
—
67
19
Rivals
3
—
—
10
247Sports
3
—
58
14
247 Composite
3
1400
83
15
On3 Recruiting
3
—
111
18
On3 Industry
3
1482
88
17
Vitals
Hometown
Lehi, Utah
Projected Position
QB
Height
6-foot-2
Weight
180 pounds
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
Oklahoma City Thunder (16-5, first in the Western Conference) vs. Toronto Raptors (7-15, 12th in the Eastern Conference)
Toronto; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Toronto will try to keep its four-game home win streak intact when the Raptors play Oklahoma City.
The Raptors have gone 6-4 at home. Toronto is the top team in the Eastern Conference averaging 56.7 points in the paint. Jakob Poeltl leads the Raptors scoring 13.1.
The Thunder are 7-3 on the road. Oklahoma City is sixth in the Western Conference with 16.4 fast break points per game led by Jalen Williams averaging 3.9.
The Raptors make 46.9% of their shots from the field this season, which is 4.3 percentage points higher than the Thunder have allowed to their opponents (42.6%). The Thunder average 13.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.6 more makes per game than the Raptors give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Poeltl is scoring 16.0 points per game with 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Raptors.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 29.8 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists for the Thunder.
LAST 10 GAMES: Raptors: 5-5, averaging 113.7 points, 48.0 rebounds, 28.3 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.4 points per game.
Thunder: 7-3, averaging 112.2 points, 42.5 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 11.4 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 102.9 points.
INJURIES: Raptors: Kelly Olynyk: out (back), Gradey Dick: day to day (calf), Bruce Brown: day to day (reconditioning), Immanuel Quickley: out (elbow).
Thunder: Chet Holmgren: out (hip), Ousmane Dieng: out (finger), Jaylin Williams: out (hamstring), Nikola Topic: out for season (acl), Alex Caruso: day to day (hip).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.