Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is rapidly rising to stardom and could take another step forward this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took another step in their rebuild last season. They finished with a record of 40-42, only one game short of a postseason berth after defeating New Orleans and later falling to Minnesota in the AT&T Play-In Tournament. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the cusp of superstardom, several of the young Thunder prospects made strides including Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Isaiah Joe and Jalen Williams. This was all done without the help of 2022 No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren, who missed last season due to a foot injury.
Holmgren appears to be full-go for camp after a stellar showing over the summer. After a relatively quiet offseason, Oklahoma City could be poised to become the surprise team of the Western Conference for 2023-24.
What’s new?
- After missing all last season due to a right foot injury, Holmgren is one of the favorites to win Kia NBA Rookie of the Year.
- Coming off All-NBA first team and fifth in Kia MVP voting, Gilgeous-Alexander, 25, generated even more momentum for another leap this upcoming season by leading Canada to a bronze medal in the FIBA World Cup.
- OKC brought aboard another lottery talent in the draft by trading up to No. 10 to select Kentucky combo guard Cason Wallace. In addition, they signed former two-time EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic to a three-year deal.
How far can the Thunder go?
A five-win improvement from last season certainly isn’t out of the question for Oklahoma City, which finished just four games behind the sixth-seed Warriors. That improvement seems more likely if Holmgren returns healthy and hits the ground running while Gilgeous-Alexander maintains his level of productivity. OKC has the talent and depth to bypass the Play-In Tournament on the way to grabbing its first postseason berth since the 2019-20 season. Expect to see a more aggressive mindset from Rookie of the Year runner-up Jalen Williams, who averaged 14 points and 1.4 steals last season.
1 player that must take a leap
Josh Giddey. Giddey increased his scoring last season by 4.1 points per game in addition to improving shooting percentages from the field and from deep while cutting down on turnovers. If the 20-year-old takes another step, something as simple as getting to the free-throw line more, it would provide Oklahoma City with another level of consistency opposite Gilgeous-Alexander while possibly giving the guard some long-term security considering he will enter next offseason with a shot at receiving an extension.
In-Season Tournament
The Oklahoma City Thunder are in West Group C. Here’s a refresher on how the In-Season Tournament works.
Upcoming free agents
The Oklahoma City Thunder have seven players that will be free agents in 2024:
- Davis Bertans
- Isaiah Joe
- Aleksej Pokusevski
- Victor Oladipo
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
- Jack White
- Aaron Wiggins
A 2020 first-round pick, Pokusevski became contract extension eligible over the summer but suffered an ankle injury that will force him to miss training camp and the start of what will be a pivotal season for the 7-foot Serbian. Bertans, meanwhile, is a career 39.8% 3-point shooter who could turn out to be a valuable trade asset for OKC. Veteran Oladipo continues to rehab and could find a tough time cracking the Thunder rotation, but his contract could also be used in a future trade for the wheeling-and-dealing GM Sam Presti.
Oklahoma City’s full roster can be found here.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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