In The Midst Of Mistakes, The Young Thunder Players Found Opportunities To Shine

Even though OKC lost, there were some positives throughout Tuesday night's game.

Oct 6, 2026; Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Bennett Stirtz (14) moves the ball down the court against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even with a lot of mistakes, OKC’s young core showed flashes of greatness. 

Oklahoma City kicked off its preseason slate on Tuesday night as the Thunder faced the New Orleans Pelicans in Tulsa. The Thunder had control of the game in the first half, but as the more experienced Thunder players started getting benched, the lead started to dwindle until the Pelicans eventually overpowered OKC. 

The Thunder would end up losing this opener 116-110, starting their preseason on the wrong note. A lot of this had to do with young mistakes Oklahoma City made throughout the game. 

To start, the Thunder lost the turnover battle horribly, turning the ball over 23 times compared to New Orleans’ 12 turnovers. Only one player on the court for the Thunder didn’t record a turnover, Andrew Holifield, and he only played for seven minutes. 

Additionally, OKC got in foul trouble, which could have been the reason it lost this game. The Thunder committed 30 fouls in the bout, and ended up giving New Orleans 47 free throws, which they made 34 of. This amount of points from the foul line is absurd and will put you behind in almost every situation. 

Lastly, the offensive rebound was once again a challenge for the Thunder. They allowed the Pelicans to grab 18 offensive boards, while only grabbing six themselves. This is something OKC struggles with as a whole and needs to improve as the regular season starts in a couple of weeks. 

While the team did have these young mistakes, there were definitely flashes of great basketball. The Thunder rookies got their moment to shine as both Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz had solid preseason debuts. Mara had 12 points on 100% and had nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Stirtz had 15 points along with six assists and five rebounds. This one-two punch shone brightly and could be a weapon for OKC in the future. 

The Thunder’s two-way rookie Josh Dix even had himself a night. Dix had 11 points and made three shots from beyond the arc, while also adding two rebounds and two assists to his resume. This is a great sign for the future, as Dix could see playing time during the regular season now with only 14 players on the roster. 

While no team ever wants to lose and there are multiple things to clean up, OKC can be confident that its future is bright if its young players continue to progress.