Sellout Crowd's Berry Tramel Optimistic on State of Thunder Rebuild

From the outside looking in, it might’ve been difficult to envision Oklahoma City’s rebuild unfolding as smooth as it has when thinking of the state of the team just a few years ago. But Thunder GM Sam Presti has yet again played his cards right.

Acquiring a plethora of assets, young talent and cultivating a team environment in which everyone seems to be thriving in their own respective roles, the team’s chemistry and talent are actively trending upwards.

Berry Tramel, a sports columnist for a new startup called Sellout Crowd, also believes the team is headed in the right direction.

“I think the rebuild is going fantastic. They’ve got such a young core that’s good. You know, the low sides are promising, but the high sides are incredible,” Tramel said.

Tramel recently left the Oklahoman to kickstart Sellout Crowd alongside fellow former Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson, as well as former Tulsa World sportswriter Guerin Emig. The startup features many of Oklahoma’s top sports media personalities, and they’ll be covering anything from Oklahoma State softball, sports-centric podcasts to providing in-depth columns on the Thunder.

Tramel has always had his feet wet in terms of covering the Thunder and its players, most memorably when he somehow found his way on Russell Westbrook’s bad side. Saying this, he’s seen virtually all the lows and highs of this rebuild, and realizes they have some special talent at hand.

“They hit home runs with Santa Clara Williams and the [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] trade, Dort’s just found money, and Giddey’s better than everybody thinks he is. Now, if Holmgren’s a bust, it slows the deal. But I don’t think he’s going to be a bust cause he’s got a two-way path to stardom.”

He definitely has a point here. With the potential Holmgren holds as solely a defender, spending the No. 2 pick in 2022 would be well worth it if he achieves anywhere close to his full potential on that side of the floor. Offensively, even if he doesn’t produce as this crafty perimeter scorer, then his 7-foot-2 frame on the interior will help hold down the fort on its own, whether its second chance points or being available for dump offs from guards on the drive.

“He could be a star on offense, he could be a star on defense. Not too many guys like that. So I like his possibility… I think the Thunder will probably win 44 games, which is good,” Tramel said.

This would pin the Thunder at just four more games than they won last season, which might seem like a lackluster season of improvement for some fans. However, the Western Conference is absolutely chock full of talent. With this in mind, Tramel has Oklahoma City sitting somewhere in the play-in tournament, at around No. 8 or No. 9 in the conference.

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Thunder improving to a maximum of ten wins on the season if things go perfectly, and would project they land somewhere at No. 6 or No. 7 in the West.

One thing is for certain, though, Oklahoma City fans should be ecstatic with the state of the team right now. No hindrances in terms of injury before training camp, no drama surrounding the team, it’s just a bunch of talented, young players ready to prove their prominence to the rest of the league.

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