The Oklahoma City Thunder are heading into the season with a frontcourt that looks deeper than ever, and the new wave of young bigs only adds to the possibilities.
That’s been the plan for a while. Over the last two NBA Drafts, Oklahoma City kept loading up on forwards and centers, taking former Georgetown big Thomas Sorber with its first pick in 2025 and Michigan big Aday Mara with its first selection in 2026. Because of Sorber’s summer 2025 injury, both players are now lined up to make their debuts in the 2026-27 season.
The result is a center rotation with real upside - maybe even the best in Thunder history. The group already had a strong foundation last season, and the way these players can slide between power forward and true center gives Oklahoma City plenty of lineup options. It also makes it likely all five will factor into the regular season rotation.
At the top of the group is Chet Holmgren, whose third active season was easily his best. He earned his first All-Star nod along with his first All-NBA and All-Defensive team selections, giving Oklahoma City a young star who kept climbing even with a rough finish in the Western Conference Finals. Even so, 2025-26 still felt like a season of growth and success for Holmgren, capped by a tough but valuable learning experience.
Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams bring their own value, too. Hartenstein has been a major piece since signing with the Thunder in free agency from the Knicks, and his role was central to Oklahoma City’s first NBA title.
Williams has filled in as the team’s reliable option when Hartenstein or Holmgren are off the floor, leaning on a strong 3-point shot and a willingness to do the dirty work. He may be undersized for the five spot, but his charge-taking helps offset some of what he gives up as a rim protector.
What made that trio work was the flexibility to pair them up. Hartenstein and Holmgren were fixtures in the fully healthy starting lineup and helped power the team’s double-big look.
Williams, meanwhile, found his best fit next to Holmgren in second-unit minutes, where the duo posted a +16.6 net rating in 302 minutes. He also saw some time alongside Hartenstein.
Now Oklahoma City has even more ways to play big. The Thunder have shown they’re comfortable putting multiple bigs on the floor together, and that opens the door for Sorber and Mara to get real chances right away. Sorber can even slide down to forward, which gives the Thunder another layer of lineup versatility as they work through a frontcourt that could be as deep and adaptable as any in the league.
In Other News...
Thunder May Have A New Offensive Answer Behind Shai
Isaiah Hartenstein already gave the Thunder a glimpse of what he can do as more than just a bruising interior presence. He scored efficiently, cleaned the glass and even helped as a playmaker, the kind of all-around center work that can steady an offense when possessions get messy. For Oklahoma City, that matters because any reliable source of production behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives the rest of the attack a little more balance and a lot less pressure.
With the roster changed around him, there is a real chance for the Thunder to lean into that versatility and see how far it can go. More touches for Hartenstein would not just be about feeding a big man in the post, it would be about testing whether Oklahoma City can find another offensive lane that complements its star guard and makes the whole system harder to guard. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Mavericks Rivalry Just Became A Bigger Stage For OKC
The 2026-27 NBA schedule has already given the Thunder another reason to circle their meetings with Dallas. What was already shaping up as a compelling Western Conference rivalry now comes with a brighter spotlight, as Oklahoma City and the Mavericks are both projected to spend the season in the playoff mix. For the Thunder, the stage is especially fitting with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams expected to anchor a team built to contend again.
The added juice comes from how often these games will be in front of a national audience, a sign the league sees this as more than a routine division-style showdown. Dallas brings its own draw with Kyrie Irving back in the fold and rookie Cooper Flagg entering the picture, and the matchup now feels like one of those regular-season series that could carry real postseason weight. For Oklahoma City, it is the kind of test that can measure where this group stands early, and how much the rivalry might matter once spring arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face A Tough Nikola Topic Call Sooner Than Anyone Wanted
The Thunder are already staring at one of those roster decisions that can shape the next few seasons, and it arrives much sooner than most of these things do. Nikola Topic, a 2024 first-round pick who has flashed real promise, is on a timeline that forces Oklahoma City to weigh projection against certainty, all while the team keeps an eye on its bigger salary-picture issues and the extensions that are coming due for other core pieces.
Topics limited NBA runway has only made the call tougher. Oklahoma City has seen enough to be intrigued, but not enough to remove the questions that naturally come with a young guard who has barely been on the floor, and the organization now has to balance patience with the practical side of team-building before the deadline hits. [Read more 🡒]