Three Thunder Players Land on Bleacher Reports' Best Players Under 22-Years-Old List

The Oklahoma City Thunder has an incredible young core, which is led by 25-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the potential of each player is incredibly high. Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will not only complement Gilgeous-Alexander on the court but take a yearly leap to take pressure off him.

Each of those other three players was selected to Bleacher Report's top 22 players under 22-years-old.

Giddey was the first player with an appearance, coming in at No. 11. Here's their analysis of him:

"The 6'8" floor general stuffs a stat sheet like few others can. He is perpetually probing for passing lanes, and his size allows him to rev up Oklahoma City's offensive engine with grab-and-go rebounds," Bleacher Report writes. "There are long-term questions about his shooting, half-court scoring and defense, but he has an impressively small number of weaknesses for someone his age."

This is interesting when thinking back about the pre-draft analysis and the graphic showing all his weaknesses combined basically being everything. He's proven he can play alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, and adding Holmgren to the mix will only make him better. The shooting aspect also saw significant improvements with just one season with Chip Engelland.

Jumping four spots, Williams is No. 7 on the list after making waves as the former No. 12 overall pick.

"Williams has that wise-beyond-his-years style where he can play at a controlled, methodical pace and still stay a step (or more) ahead of the defense," Bleacher Report writes. "On the less glamorous end, he pairs that advanced feel with a sweeping 7'2" wingspan to become a defensive answer for just about any offensive puzzle. This NBA era is all about versatility, and Williams basically defines the term on both ends."

Williams is the perfect example of a player both holding star potential and also being a swiss army knife. Playing alongside other talented players allows Williams to pick apart opposing defenses and get easy buckets.

Lastly, Holmgren joins the other two on the list, coming in at No. 5. This is impressive considering he's yet to play a minute at the NBA level. He's shown his potential at every level and even in the Summer League in two straight offseasons, but claiming this after having yet to see him against NBA talents is interesting.

"Injuries aside, he's helpful in even his worst-case scenario as a shot-blocking and three-point-splashing 7-footer," Bleacher Report writes. "In his best-case, he uses his ball skills and shooting touch to become a three-level scorer and leans on his vision and feel to thrive as a secondary playmaker. He might be an elite defensive anchor who functions as a jumbo wing scorer on the offensive end."

It's understood that when Holmgren joins the lineup, not only is he going to feast playing alongside the talents the Thunder already has, but he is going to elevate the ceiling of the team. It's a positive two-way relationship that ultimately benefits both sides.

All three of these guys are going to be able to compete at a high level so early while maintaining the potential to make substantial leaps on a yearly basis, giving the team the opportunity to become one of the best teams in the league for quite some time.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.