Could Some Of The Thunder's Newest Additions Be Their Biggest Weapons?

OKC has enough star power to go all the way, but its young players could start to set up the future.

Jan 25, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Thomas Sorber during warm ups before a game against the Toronto Raptors at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma City’s X factors for this season might not be the big names you expect. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing to go into next season as one of the favorites to take home the NBA Title, as they did during the 2024-25 season. The team’s roster is filled with superstars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren; however, as the season progresses, the Thunder will need some other players to step up and contribute.

A recent ESPN article evaluated the Thunder’s offseason as a whole and gave projections for next season. The article then went into who the X-factors are for OKC next year, and it wasn’t who you would expect. 

The group that could propel the Thunder’s season was chosen to be Bennett Stirtz, Nikola Topic, Aday Mara and Thomas Sorber. Now, just taking a look at this group, you have to wonder if these guys will even have valuable minutes this year, as the only one who isn’t going into their first season is Topic. However, it doesn’t seem like this group was chosen for the level of its play alone. 

OKC was in a bit of a predicament this season, trying to build its roster to stay at a championship level while dealing with financial issues to stay under the second apron. The Thunder found a way to do this, but it cost the team three players: Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort. Now, with Oklahoma City figuring out what players will step into what roles, this year’s X factor would be if the offseason didn’t look like this again. 

This is where the Thunder’s young players come in, as they all have affordable contracts that support the bigger stars on the team. Additionally, if these players could even start to progress like recent Thunder players, the cycle of OKC’s young talent taking over could continue. 

They have the ability to do so, as Stirtz and Mara showed flashes of potential in the Summer League and could each be used in multiple different lineups for OKC. Sorber will be looking to hit the ground running after an injury sidelined him before he could start his rookie year, and will be looking to remind everyone why he was a first-round pick. Last, but not least, Topic, who has shown flashes of solid playmaking ability, will be looking to take it a step further, hopefully with a full season of progress. 

With OKC’s roster being so loaded, the team might not need an X factor in terms of play. Instead, these four players could be the X factor that sets the Thunder up for the future.