Thunder Preview: Despite Youth, OKC Has All That’s Needed To Emerge From West

Thunder Preview

A look at the Oklahoma City Thunder entering the 2024-25 season …

• Record: 57-25 (lost to the Mavericks in the second round)
• New Faces: Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell
• Key Losses: Josh Giddey, Lindy Waters III, Bismack Biyombo, Gordon Hayward, Mike Muscala

Overview

The Thunder are coming off a season where they flashed serious potential, but now comes the real test. Are they ready to break through?

It’s a fair question, and the answer might just depend on how much you believe in the idea of a young team figuring things out on the fly.

We know they’re talented. Only one team had a better record last year, and only one could claim better overall efficiency on both ends of the floor. That team, the Celtics, ended up hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Oklahoma City? They were right there, battling with Dallas in the playoffs before running out of steam. But let’s not forget, three of those six games were decided by four points or less.

They were right in the thick of it, despite shooting struggles and a few unlucky breaks.

Enter this season, and GM Sam Presti has been busy. Josh Giddey, a talented but flawed piece, is out — his shooting simply wasn’t cutting it when the pressure mounted. In comes Alex Caruso, a proven winner with a championship pedigree, someone who knows his role and plays it to perfection.

It’s a move straight from the Celtics’ playbook, much like when Boston snagged Derrick White to shore up their backcourt. Caruso fits the Thunder’s mold of tough, smart, versatile defenders.

But it didn’t stop there. Presti also addressed OKC’s glaring weakness on the boards by bringing in Isaiah Hartenstein. His offensive rebounding rate in New York was second-best in the league, and that kind of presence is exactly what the Thunder lacked when things tightened up in the playoffs.

Add to that Hartenstein’s defensive instincts, and the Thunder defense — already one of the most disruptive in the league — just got a lot scarier.

Now, when you have an MVP-caliber talent like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, you’ve already got a shot to win on any given night. SGA is one of those rare stars who can take over a game, any game, and lead you to victory.

He averaged 30 points, five boards, and five assists last season while shooting the lights out. Those numbers aren’t flukes — they’re the marks of a superstar entering his prime.

Surrounding him, Jalen Williams is knocking on the door of All-Star status, and Chet Holmgren may not be far behind.

Oh, by the way, OKC has nine guys who shot 37% or better from deep last season. When you combine that kind of shooting with the defensive stoppers they’ve got — Caruso, Lu Dort, SGA, Cason Wallace — and throw in Holmgren and Hartenstein protecting the rim, this team can beat you in a lot of ways.

They can lock you up on defense, they can run in transition, and they can shoot the ball. The versatility is staggering.

So, what’s the ceiling? Well, if everything clicks, this team could easily be in the Finals conversation. SGA could win MVP, Williams and Holmgren could become All-Stars, and the Thunder could go on a deep playoff run — maybe even bring home their first title since the move from Seattle.

But if it falls apart, it’s going to be because the young pieces don’t quite make the leap.

Maybe the shooting cools off, maybe the defense doesn’t hold up, and maybe the growing pains are just a little too much.

In that scenario, they’re still good enough to make the playoffs, but a second-round exit could be their ceiling.

So, are the Thunder ready? If you’re buying into youth, versatility, and star power, the answer is yes.

But like we’ve seen so many times before, potential is just potential until you prove it when it counts.

• More Thunder | All coverage from Hoops Wire