Summer League has New Feeling for OKC Thunder After NBA Title

Oklahoma City is less than two weeks removed from an NBA championship, but it will be on the court again this weekend.

The 2024-25 season was magical for the Thunder. After coming up short in the playoffs many times over the past decade and a half, this 68-win juggernaut finally broke through to deliver a championship to Oklahoma City.

In the following days, the Thunder had a championship parade and the entire state was celebrating the massive win. Of course, that celebration quickly transitioned into the offseason, with the NBA Draft coming only a day after the parade.

While the celebration still continued, there will be some true transition to next season beginning on Saturday, when the Thunder take the floor for their first Utah Summer League game. At 6 p.m., the Thunder will face the Memphis Grizzlies in a summer league matchup unlike any other in team history.

Over the past few years, summer league has provided a chance for the Thunder to get an extra look at their young players. That won’t change this July, but what the Thunder are looking for will be different.

Simply going back three years to the 2022 summer league shows how much things have changed for the organization. That summer league featured Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams all on the floor together, with Holmgren and Williams making their first on-court appearances with the Thunder.

Jul 9, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) leads Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann (23) across the floor during an NBA Summer League game against the Houston Rockets at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Thunder used those games as a way to look at how their high picks could gel and maybe turn into stars. While Giddey didn’t work out, Williams and Holmgren were just stars for the Thunder on a championship run.

Considering the Thunder are indeed coming off a title run and already have their stars established, they will be looking for which young players might be able to crack a playoff rotation in the near future. 2024 No. 12 pick Nikola Topic will headline the Thunder’s roster, but other potential Thunder rotation players such as Ajay Mitchell and Branden Carlson will also be on the floor.

While the Thunder would obviously love for one of their summer league guys to turn into a star, that’s no longer something Sam Presti and company truly need. While that was already the case last year, there is still a much different feeling when having that mindset as an NBA champion.

Oklahoma City still has plenty of work to do and will be locked into how summer league pans out for its young players, but with a Larry O’Brien Trophy in town, the Thunder don’t have to worry about anything in July defining their summer.