2023-24 NBA Season Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder
Training camp for the 2023-24 NBA season is officially underway! Up until opening night on Oct. 24, we will be previewing all 30 NBA teams! Today, we will be previewing the Oklahoma City Thunder, who blew past preseason expectations in 2022-23.
What happened last year?
Even without their No. 2 overall pick in Chet Holmgren and really any worthwhile veteran additions to its roster, the Oklahoma City Thunder vastly improved from 24-58 to 40-42, their best record since 2019-20. It came on the back of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (more on him below), who made his first All-Star team.
They also had surprise rookie outbursts from Jalen Williams (or maybe not, if you read this pre-draft) and Jaylin Williams (yes, I promise you they’re two different people) with second-year leaps from Josh Giddey and, to some extent, Tre Mann. The team’s expectations were among the lowest in the NBA and they really hit their stride at the turn of the calendar, finishing with the 15th-best NET Rating after posting the fourth-worst NET in 2021-22. It was a very encouraging season in the right direction for OKC!
Offseason recap:
Oklahoma City had a good offseason, though it entered the offseason with a full 15-man roster and $30 million in cap space, so it was difficult for them to add outside of the draft unless trades occurred.
Spoiler: They did.
They made multiple minor transactions but drafted standout rookie Cason Wallace and traded for sharpshooting forward Davis Bertans, who has two years and $33 million left on his deal, on draft night. They followed suit by trading for Victor Oladipo, who could miss the majority of the season after tearing his patellar tendon in Game 3 of the Miami Heat’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
They also signed head coach Mark Daigneault, who’s quickly climbing up the coaching rankings leaguewide, to a multi-year extension in mid-July.
Projected Starting Five?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G — Gilgeous-Alexander is a rising (super)star and is a top-5 guard in the sport. The 25-year-old is coming off a campaign where he averaged 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game on an absurd 62.6 percent true-shooting. He’s a generational driver and can get to any spot he wants to on the floor. He’s truly a must-watch two-way talent.
Josh Giddey, G — Giddey, entering his third season, is a rising young guard. Similar to SGA, he’s never sped up and is arguably a better pure playmaker despite being a more shaky outside shooter. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in his sophomore NBA season.
Jalen Williams, G — Williams was a late riser in the NBA draft–and if you bought stock, you did well! The 22-year-old dazzled as a rookie alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey, posting 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 52.1/35.6/81.2 shooting splits.
Chet Holmgren, F — There will likely be a contentious debate on whether the Thunder should start two bigs–preferably Holmgren and Williams. I think they should–at least that’s how I believe it ends up. Holmgren did not suit up as a rookie due to a Lisfranc injury suffered in Summer League, but he’s got a remarkable blend of size, handle, playmaking, defensive aptitude, fluidity and floor spacing at 7-foot. He’ll need to improve his core- and lower-body strength, but that’ll come with time.
Jaylin Williams, F/C — The other “Jaylin” Williams carved out a role for himself after nearly being undrafted in the 2022 draft. Williams appeared in 49 games, starting in 36 of them. He was Oklahoma City’s best big without Holmgren, averaging 5.9 points and 4.9 boards per game. His role might not be as prominent in 2023-24, but I still see him making an impact as a rotation big.
Notable Reserves:
Luguentz Dort, G/F — Dort is the perfect glue who can provide multi-positional defense with sporadic 3-point shooting. The emergence of Giddey and Williams lessoned on-ball responsibility, but he still averaged 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds on 51.3 percent true shooting. Thunder could opt to start him, but I expect he begins the season on the bench.
Cason Wallace, G — Wallace was a home run pick for OKC, in my opinion, adding to an already exciting backcourt with SGA, Giddey, Williams and Joe. Wallace was a feisty on-ball defender at Kentucky who projects to guard 1-3 as his career goes on. His on-ball acumen is also through the roof, even though he lacks the burst that guards his size have. There are a lot of mouths to feed, but I think he will provide a steady rookie impact.
Isaiah Joe, G — Among the 67 players that attempted at least 250 spot-up 3-point attempts last year, Joe was the 8th-most efficient, canning 42.3 percent of such attempts. Throughout last season, he continued to provide the sharpshooting element that the Thunder lacked, while providing solid defense and decent playmaking.
Biggest X-Factor? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
This is a cop-out, but the Thunder go as Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s their key to a deep playoff run. He’s their key to an NBA Title. He’s got a very young, albeit good supporting cast around him–they go as he goes. It’s that simple.
Season projection?
The Thunder vaulted to 40-42 last year and were a game away from their first postseason appearance since 2019-20. They are in a loaded Western Conference where anything can happen, but I think they squeak into the No. 6 seed in the West with a 43-39 record.
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