Does Oklahoma City Need to Add Frontcourt Help This Summer?

Oklahoma City experienced unexpected success last year as the youngest team in the NBA. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaking out and the supporting cast taking big time next steps, the Thunder exceeded expectations and made the NBA’s play-in tournament.

The most impressive part about the Thunder’s season-long run was the fact that Chet Holmgren was out for the entire season, missing every game from start to finish. Oklahoma City had a revolving door in the front court, eventually settling on second round rookie Jaylin Williams to fill the void down the stretch. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aleksej Pokusevski were both plagued by injuries and Darius Bazley fell out of the rotation early before being traded away. Mike Muscala, who played meaningful minutes before the deadline was dealt to the Boston Celtics.

All the injuries and trades left Oklahoma City crippled at the center position, relying on players like Kenrich Williams to step up and fill the void some nights. Holmgren will be back on the floor after a long year of rehab, likely slotting into the Thunder’s starting five-spot and fixing a lot of problems down low. Outside of that, however, rebounding still seems to be an issue for this Thunder team moving forward. It would be smart to give Holmgren relief in the front court.

In Bleacher Report’s latest article detailing free agent targets for every team, the site listed Jakob Poeltl, Paul Reed and Mason Plumlee as potential options that fit the bill coming off the bench in Oklahoma City.

All three centers would be solid additions to the Thunder’s current roster and would give Jaylin Williams a chance to play the power forward spot or find his footing at center with an off-season of improvement. Another option for OKC could be through the draft, where the team could select a center with its No. 12 pick of via trading up. Multiple mock drafts have already linked the Thunder to Duke center Dereck Lively II, who struggled offensively but had a big time defensive presence for the Blue Devils.

Whether it's through the draft or free agency, it would be smart for the Thunder to add a viable front court option if things go south again. It's hard to predict injuries and inconsistencies, and Holmgren might need to ease back into action.

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.

Add us as a preferred source on Google