The OKC Thunder Officially Have Arrived, Which Should Terrify The Rest Of The NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder presently own the second-best record in the Western Conference, despite having the youngest roster in the NBA. Even though they have played against the sixth-toughest strength of schedule thus far, they are only one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are leading the West at 23-9.

 

In addition to defeating the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder have already won two games against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. They recently defeated the Boston Celtics, who are currently the favorites to win the championship, 127-123 at home, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Thunder entered the season as a +7000 to win this year’s title, but they’ve since jumped to +2300, trailing only the Celtics, Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Lakers. It’s becoming increasingly clear that they’re closer to championship contention than anyone expected heading into the 2023-24 season, which should terrify the rest of the NBA.

 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has surged his way up the MVP odds leaderboard, is leading the way for OKC with 31.4 points

on a career-high 54.9% shooting, 6.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and a league-leading 2.6 steals per game. He’s a low-

volume, low-efficiency three-point shooter, which makes him somewhat of

an anachronism in today’s NBA, but he has an uncanny ability to get to his

preferred spots on the floor even if he can’t slither his way to the rim. That

makes him nearly impossible to stop despite his middling long-range shooting.

Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, has quickly cemented himself as a building block in

OKC as well. After missing his entire rookie season with a foot injury, he’s

averaging 17.6 points on 54.3% shooting, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.7 blocks and

1.7 three-pointers per game, which has made him the early Rookie of the Year

favorite over San Antonio Spurs wunderkind Victor Wembanyama.

 

Jalen Williams doesn’t get as much national attention as Gilgeous-Alexander or Holmgren, but he’s the third member

of OKC’s budding Big Three. After bursting onto the scene with a first-team

All-Rookie nod last season, the No. 12 pick of the 2022 draft is flirting with the

50-40-90 club while averaging a career-high 17.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. He also ranks in the

89th percentile leaguewide in Dunks and Threes’ defensive estimated plus/minus

after finishing in the 70th percentile as a rookie.

 

Surrounding those three is a deep supporting cast that includes a number of recent lottery picks (Cason Wallace,

Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng), a few key undrafted free agents (Lu Dort,

Kenrich Williams) and a pair of second-round picks that are significantly

outperforming their draft slots (Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins). All of them are

under contract for at least the next two seasons, too.

 

The Thunder have amassed an unprecedented war chest of future draft

picks as well. They could have as many as 15 first-round picks and 22 second-

rounders over the next seven years, which will be particularly useful under

the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement.

The new CBA places severe limitations on club expansion for teams that surpass the luxury-tax threshold. The Thunder are not in that situation yet, but if Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams are all due for new contracts, they very well could be. Few, if any, other teams can match their almost limitless supply of draft picks, which allows them to constantly restock their supporting cast.

What’s Next For The Thunder?

Where will the Thunder go after this? Are they currently a worthy contender for the championship? Is it necessary for them to acquire a new high-profile player, be it Zach LaVine, Pascal Siakam, or an unidentified candidate? Should they hold out until the NBA trade deadline on February 8 and then see where the chips fall in the postseason?

Heading into the season, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said he was in no hurry to rush into an all-in move.

 

“We’re not a .500 team,” Presti told reporters during his preseason media

availability. “We have to finish our breakfast before we start acting like we’re on the cusp of something.

 

“I think this is part of the headwinds you face as a young team. I wouldn’t want to

‘cash in’ to become average or above-average. I don’t think that’s really what

anyone’s expecting. When people say ‘go all-in,’ I don’t think they’re saying ‘go all-

in to have one season that’s slightly better than your last season.’ I think

when the team’s performing at an extremely high level, you then know,

‘Wait, something could help us.’ And you have better information.”

Perhaps Presti’s perspective has shifted in that sense as a result of the Thunder’s early-season success. However, it doesn’t seem like any of the Thunder players are prepared to declare themselves crowned just yet, based on the messages they are sending out.

 

Regarding the Thunder’s recent success, Holmgren told reporters on Tuesday, “It says that we’re really playing together and we’re prioritizing winning over anything else.” However, in the long run, I suppose you could say that it doesn’t really prove anything or sort of satisfy anybody.

“We are aware of how far we still have to go. There are still 50 games left in the season as we are already 32 games in. Many of the things we have already learnt must be kind of kept in the back of our minds since we still have a lot to learn.”

Why The Thunder Should Be In No Hurry

The Thunder have Holmgren and Williams on their rookie contracts through 2025-26, and Gilgeous-Alexander is on his five-year, $179.3 million contract through 2026-27. That means they should have significant financial flexibility for the next 2.5 years.

 

They need to take advantage of that window. After that, it will become increasingly difficult for them to add another impact piece either via free agency or trade thanks to the new CBA.

 

That’s why the Thunder shouldn’t rush into a trade for the first star who becomes available. They have far more time than a team of their caliber typically does. Their title window is only starting to open, and if they play their cards right, it should remain that way for at least the next half-decade.

 

The new CBA is effectively designed to break up superteams and promote parity throughout the league. Thanks to their

collection of incumbent talent and future draft capital, the Thunder could prove to

be the exception to that rule. They just need to identify their biggest needs—

which will only come with more reps—and figure out how best to fill those.

Do the Thunder need to add another big man at some point? Probably. But where does Holmgren fit best? Can he hold his own against star centers like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, or does he need a brawny frontcourt complement alongside him for those matchups? The Thunder won’t know unless they give Holmgren the opportunity to face those guys.

 

If Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren are locked in as long-term

building blocks, how do the Thunder round out the rest of their starting

lineup? Do they already have in-house answers at those spots, or do they need

to explore external options (whether via the draft, free agency or trades)? Again,

they won’t know without further evaluation.

However, that does not always imply that the Thunder should hold out until the trade deadline. It might be the best of both worlds if they can make a clear upgrade without devoting too much of their asset pile.

 

But just because they’ve had such a strong start to the season doesn’t mean they have to go all in. Their financial flexibility won’t go until 2026, so there’s still plenty of time left. It’s impossible to predict who might become available this offseason or next winter, even if they don’t make a major move by the trade deadline.

And when a rival front office decides to shop one of its stars, they should make the Thunder their first choice because of their stockpile of youthful talent and potential draft selections.