The Oklahoma City Thunder have accomplished one of the most successful rebuilds in recent NBA history; as a result, they are in a position to dominate the NBA in the latter half of the 2020s.
Most teams can handle a slow rebuild; however, growth and impatience tend to lead to win-now moves with short-term upsides and long-term consequences.
However, the Thunder have proved to be an exception in recent years. Rather than wasting salary cap space on low-value free agents, the Thunder have opted to take on unwanted contracts for the compensation of draft picks.
To illustrate, during the 2023 NBA Draft, the Thunder traded the 12th overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks for the 10th overall pick and veteran forward Davis Bertan with his horrible contract.
In addition, the team also took on an injured Victor Oladipo and his $9.5 million contract from the Miami Heat in exchange for 2029 and 2030 second-round picks. The Thunder then acquired Patty Mills, 2024, 2029, and 2030 second-round picks from the Houston Rockets in exchange for sending out cash considerations.
As a result of these trades, the team was able to amass a treasure trove of picks, including 15 first-round picks and 20 second-round picks over the next seven years. This provides the Thunder with the most valuable future assets in the NBA, according to ESPN.
However, having ample draft picks won’t necessarily lead to success unless a team can effectively use those picks.
This has not been an issue for the Thunder though, as its general manager Sam Presti has had some of the highest pick success rates in recent NBA history. Presti has drafted stars such as Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, all of whom have won the MVP award.
In recent years, Presti has had similar success using acquired picks to draft Josh Giddey with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren with the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and Jalen Williams with the 12th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, all of whom are currently in the starting lineup.
Even with a talented roster, an NBA team cannot win a championship without a legitimate star player (or two) to lead the team.
Luckily, the Thunder found its star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In 2019, the Thunder traded away Paul George for Gilgeous-Alexander, along with Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps.
In this trade, the Thunder prioritized getting rid of their star player, George. The Thunder did this because the team had not made much progress in the playoffs with George, and instead of making a trade with a short-term upside, Oklahoma City opted to build its future. This trade allowed the Thunder to amass more picks and acquire an emerging player in Gilgeous-Alexander, who has developed into one of the best players in the NBA.
Gilgeous-Alexander has proved that he can lead a team. Under his leadership, the Thunder are currently the first seed in the Western Conference. That’s perhaps the craziest part of this story: the Thunder are still “rebuilding,” yet they are atop the current standings two months into the season. Imagine how scary this team must be for the rest of the NBA seeing as it still has an abundance of unused draft picks and salary cap money to spend.
Not only has Gilgeous-Alexander proved his ability to lead the team to wins, he has also proved his statistical dominance in the league by averaging 31.1 points, 6.3 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 54.9% from the field, 32.6% from three, and 89.3% from the free throw line. For these reasons, Gilgeous-Alexander currently is 2nd in ESPN’s MVP rankings.
Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the only impactful player on the Thunder, as arguably the second-best player on this roster, Chet Holmgren, has also cemented himself as an integral part of the Thunder.
Holmgren was drafted in 2022 but missed his first season due to a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. Holmgren returned to play this season and has thus far averaged 17.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on a field goal percentage of 54.4% and an astounding three-point percentage of 50%, per ESPN stats.
His offensive stats are impressive, but his defensive skills are what set him apart from the rest; Holmgren is averaging 2.6 blocks and 5.8 defensive rebounds per game, all while standing at 7’1″. If Holmgren can put up these crazy numbers in his rookie season, imagine what his stats will look like in the future. Most NBA fans and analysts feel Holmgren is a star in the making. Paired next to Gilgeous-Alexander, the star-studded duo will be lethal on the court.
Another one of the Thunder’s most impactful players is the 2022 Rookie of the Year runner-up, Jalen Williams.
Williams has also shot 45% from beyond the arch. For context, he shot 36% on 3-pointers last season, according to ESPN. So far this season, Williams has cemented himself as an integral part of the Thunder by supplying clutch points in the 4th quarter and effective defense.
This season, Williams has averaged 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, which is 4.6 more points per game than he averaged last season, according to ESPN. Williams represents yet another Thunder player who is on the rise.
Overall, the Thunder have a well-rounded squad with no glaring weaknesses. However, if the current situation were to change, and the Thunder needed another impactful player, the team could trade for almost any player not listed as untouchable, due to the immense resources at its disposal.
Teams should be terrified of the Thunder, a team on the rise that will use its already talented roster and treasure trove of draft picks and cap space to dominate the NBA in the latter half of the 2020s.
Teams should also look at the Thunder as an example to frame their own rebuild.
Photo Credits (listed respectively):
I. OKC Thunder Slam Magazine (via Slamgoods.com)
II. Image of Paul George (Rob Ferguson/Associated Press)
III. Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates after scoring. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
IV. Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on against the Miami Heat. (Rich Story/Getty Images)
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