Examining Thunder and Kings Rebuild Standings Entering 2022-23 Season
Oklahoma City and Sacremeto are both teams who have taken steps forward and then steps backward in recent years.
OKC is two full seasons removed from the beginning of their rebuild while the Kings have missed the playoffs the past 16 seasons.
Both teams, though, are in similar standing in the Western Conference and their roster makeup.
Last season the Kings finished with a record of 30-52, while the Thunder went 24-58. The offseason though has separated the two teams slightly. The Kings had the No. 4 overall pick in this season's draft.
The Thunder on the other hand held the No. 2 and No. 12 picks in the first round, then added the No. 11 pick from the Knicks on Draft night.
The Thunder focused their offseason on the draft while the Kings kept their best selection and added no other picks in the first round.
The Kings instead hung their future on last season's trade deadline where they dealt Tyrese Haliburton and others for Domantas Sabonis to pair with De'Aaron Fox. The Kings also added Kevin Huerter to their rotation.
In the NBA draft the Kings made a decision most expected, but remained eye-opening selecting Keegan Murray at No. 4. The Thunder hauled in Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Williams in the lottery.
The Kings and Thunder have vastly different outlooks this season, as the Kings shifted from rebuild to compete now in an effort to end the 16-year drought. The Thunder on the other hand have lower expectations for this season as they hope to continue to build around high draft picks.
The Kings have the roster to make a playoff push this season as a lower seed after their offseason and long grueling rebuild, while OKC who also made large strides this season in overall roster makeup may still be a year or two from being in the playoff conversation.
The Thunder’s offseason also took a blow when Holmgren suffered a foot injury during a pro-am game which will keep him out for the season.
The Kings’ quick jump up also shows how close the Thunder can be to making the jump into the playoff conversation. Both teams have a young eye-opening guard, for Sacramento is Fox and for OKC it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They also both are flush in young depth.
The Kings and Thunder both have undergone mass overhaul of their roster over the years, but both are now shifting apart as they enter different phases of their respective rebuilds, but both open windows into each other.
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