The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season is in the books, and for Payton Sandfort it turned into a small but meaningful step into the NBA. The undrafted rookie, signed late to a two-way deal, got his first taste of the league after spending much of the year working his way back from double-shoulder surgery.
Sandfort’s path was anything but smooth. His arm was in a sling throughout Summer League, and his rehab carried into the start of the G League season with the OKC Blue in November 2025.
Once he finally got on the floor, though, he showed the shot-making that made him worth tracking in the first place. In 25 games with the Blue, he averaged 10.9 points while taking 7.3 3-point attempts per game, a clear sign of how much the Thunder valued his perimeter scoring.
That eventually earned him a two-way spot in March 2026, and he appeared in four games for Oklahoma City. His NBA minutes were mostly quiet as the Thunder wrapped up the top seed, but the experience still mattered.
Sandfort made his debut in Brooklyn, then flew back to Oklahoma City to watch his brother play at March Madness - one of the more memorable personal moments from the season. He finished his year on a high note, dropping 23 points in the regular-season finale loss to the Phoenix Suns.
The numbers from his brief NBA run were modest: 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and no assists, with shooting splits of 50.0% from the field, 41.2% from 3-point range and 50.0% at the line. His advanced numbers included a 63.0% true-shooting percentage, a 19.8% usage rate, 0.2 win shares and a minus-0.1 VORP.
Oklahoma City waived Sandfort early in the offseason and later filled its three two-way spots with Brooks Barnhizer, Otega Oweh and Josh Dix. If he wants another crack at one of those jobs, the next step has to come in the G League. He already gave himself a better shot in July, when he was one of the bright spots on an 0-8 Summer League team by flashing his range and volume from deep.
There’s still a case for Sandfort. He plays with energy, competes on defense and brings an edge that stands out for a player trying to hang around. The Thunder may have moved on for now, but he’s shown enough to stay in the conversation.
Final Grade: C
In Other News...
Alex Caruso Is Suddenly Central To A Huge Thunder Question
Alex Caruso has already shown why the Thunder went out and got him, even with his regular-season workload kept in check to help preserve his health. Since arriving in the trade that sent Josh Giddey elsewhere, he has been the kind of playoff piece Oklahoma City trusts when the games tighten up, giving the lineup a veteran defensive edge and enough shooting to fit cleanly around the stars.
Now the question is less about whether Caruso matters and more about how much the Thunder can ask of him over the course of a full season. With key perimeter defenders gone, his role is set to grow, and that could mean more minutes than he has typically carried in recent years as Oklahoma City tries to hold up against a brutal Western Conference while leaning on his presence on the wing. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Will Love Why Westbrook Is Back In The Spotlight
Russell Westbrook is back in the spotlight for a reason Thunder fans know well: the debate around his career has never really matched the production. On his podcast, Draymond Green took aim at the way NBA fans spent years criticizing Westbrook while he was still on the floor, only to turn around and celebrate him after retirement talk started creeping in. Green pointed back to the stretch when Westbrook was paired with Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City, a run that helped deliver multiple playoff appearances and kept the franchise firmly in the leagues top tier.
For Oklahoma City followers, the larger point lands close to home because Westbrook has long been one of the most polarizing stars to ever wear the uniform. Greens frustration centered on how often Westbrook was underrated in real time, even as his contributions were piling up season after season. The reaction now is less about revisiting old arguments and more about whether the league finally appreciates what Thunder fans watched up close for years. [Read more 🡒]