Thunder In for Most Intriguing Season Yet
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are primed for their most interesting season to date.
With multiple MVP-level players and a slew of deep playoff runs, the team has plenty to pick from.
But in the 2022-23 season, Oklahoma City has potentially the most interesting roster construction and projected outlook yet.
Starting with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who will either catapult into superstardom or cement himself as a fringe All-Star talent capable of handling the OKC reigns.
It won’t necessarily be a bounce-back season for Gilgeous-Alexander, who all things considered had a great third-year in the NBA, but he will be able to prove consistency and likely set his ceiling as a star.
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Next is Giddey, who portrayed sky-high potential as a rookie. Giddey averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists in his debut season, lighting up the stat-sheet in nearly every area.
It will be interesting to see whether Giddey can make an offensive leap, or if his scoring will be relative to his outside shooting. Giddey is likely a long-term key contributor to the Thunder, but just how much he contributes will be the answer.
Then there’s Chet Holmgren, who potentially has the highest expectations for an OKC rookie since Kevin Durant.
Holmgren will be an interesting case. He physically doesn’t look NBA-ready, but he’s backed himself up with his play at each and every stop on his basketball career.
There’s several more factors that will make OKC’s season one to watch: what will Lu Dort’s role look like? How will project picks Aleksej Poksusevski and Ousmane Dieng fare? Who will make the biggest jump?
The combination of all these factors, mixed with the fact most books have Oklahoma City pegged as one of the worst teams coming into the season, create an exciting mix of outcomes.
The 77th NBA season will kick off in early October. The Thunder will need to make a few more roster cuts in order to get down to the required 15-man roster for the regular season.
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