Brooks Barnhizer is a Player to Watch for the Thunder

News ArticlePublishedJul 17, 2026 at 07:29 PM EDTBrooks Barnhizer is starting to make a case for himself as one of the more interesting names to watch for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Northwestern product isn't putting up numbers by accident, either. He's finding ways to impact games, even when everything isn't falling perfectly.Barnhizer's latest performance came in Oklahoma City's 97-87 loss to Dallas, where he had his third double-double in four outings. He finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal, giving the kind of all-around performance coaches tend to like a lot.Through his recent stretch, Barnhizer has averaged 12.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Those numbers paint the picture of a player who isn't just waiting around fo