The Oklahoma City Thunder head into next season with championship expectations still attached, but the shape of their frontcourt could be one of the first things to sort itself out in preseason play.
After an offseason that sent Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins out in order to get under the second apron and make room for incoming rookies, Oklahoma City will look a little different when the new season opens. Mark Daigneault will have to adjust his rotations over the full 82-game schedule, even if the playoff core stayed mostly intact. Dort started every postseason game, while Joe and Wiggins had already slipped out of the playoff mix.
The bigger immediate question is how the Thunder handle their center rotation.
Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams are all set to return in major roles, but Oklahoma City also has two rookies to bring along in Thomas Sorber and Aday Mara. Because the Thunder are expected to contend again, the established bigs are unlikely to see much preseason action. That opens the door for Sorber and Mara to get a real look.
Both rookies come with their own concerns. Mara’s conditioning may be an issue early on, while Sorber arrives with uncertainty after tearing his ACL last season. That leaves both players in a similar spot as they begin their NBA careers.
When the Thunder are healthy, minutes for either rookie figure to be limited. Still, Oklahoma City has dealt with injuries in its big-man group in recent years, so there should be chances for one or both to step in during the season. Which one gets the first opportunity could be decided in the preseason.
With Sorber and Mara essentially starting from the same place, any game reps they get before the regular season should help the Thunder better judge where each stands. The preseason may not define their rookie years, but it could provide an early clue about who is more likely to play and who is more likely to play first.
In Other News...
Thunder Fans Are Missing The Real Reason OKC Lost To Spurs
Chet Holmgrens rough showing in the Western Conference Finals drew plenty of attention, and for good reason. He struggled to find his rhythm against San Antonio, shot poorly and spent much of the matchup being outplayed by Victor Wembanyama, which made him an easy place to point after the Oklahoma City Thunder came up short.
But the bigger issue for Oklahoma City was never just Holmgrens box score. The Thunder were dealing with major rotation losses in Jaylen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, and those absences left the roster thinner than it needed to be in the most demanding part of the series. Even with that handicap, Oklahoma City still dragged the matchup all the way to a Game 7, which says plenty about how close the Thunder were despite the circumstances. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Have A Sneaky Reason To Watch Jalen Duren Free Agency
Jalen Durens restricted-free-agent situation has turned into one of those quiet NBA watch items that can matter far beyond the player himself. The big man has not reached a new deal with Detroit yet, and with several teams lurking - including the Kings, Lakers, Rockets, Clippers and Celtics - his next stop is being followed closely around the league. For Thunder fans, the appeal is less about adding Duren and more about the ripple effect his decision could have on the rest of the Western Conference.
Sacramento is the name to circle here because of where the Kings sit in the standings picture and how much room there still is for movement around them. Duren landing there would not be expected to dramatically alter their postseason outlook, but the Thunder have plenty of reason to keep an eye on the broader free-agent market, since a different destination could give one of Oklahoma Citys biggest rivals a meaningful boost. So even if this is not a Thunder move in the traditional sense, it is the kind of transaction that could shape the path ahead in ways that matter in Oklahoma City. [Read more 🡒]
SGAs MVP Buzz Is Slipping For A Reason Thunder Fans Will Love
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still trying to do something rare enough to reshape the MVP conversation before the season even tips: chase a third straight award after winning the last two. But the early national buzz is no longer pointing his way as strongly as it did a year ago, which says less about any drop in his game and more about how crowded the leagues top tier has become.
For Thunder fans, though, there is a familiar silver lining. Oklahoma City is again expected to win at a level that keeps the team in the leagues elite conversation, and this time the load around Gilgeous-Alexander should be spread more evenly across a deep group. With Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell and the rest of the supporting cast helping shoulder the burden, the MVP chase may get trickier for SGA, even if the Thunders bigger picture looks just as bright. [Read more 🡒]