NBA Draft Strategy Unchanged After OKC Thunder Wins Championship

After years of trying to climb the mountain, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reached the summit. For the first time in franchise history, the Thunder are NBA Champions, defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games of the NBA Finals.

This is the first NBA Draft for Sam Presti as an NBA Champion. One of the best team builders of this generation –– and All-time –– has knocked many drafts out of the park. Though he has never been in this position.

Not only are the Thunder defending champions for the first time with Presti as the top decision-maker, but the roster is loaded with talent, all of whom are in line to return next season.

Does the success of the current big league club linger into draft strategy for Presti? It is a fair question.

Oftentimes in the 2025 NBA Draft, you seek out the best player available at your selection and figure the rest out later. Though with a loaded rotation, does fit creep into the mind of the Thunder's front office more?

"Yeah, I mean, that's a good question. The one thing I'd say is we're always -- we're never rigid in anything we do, so we don't say this is the way we've done it so we're always going to do it this way. We're always looking to update the way we look at things, try to figure out as much as we can learn. Every draft that we have is an opportunity to reflect back on the others and figure out what we can do better," Prest said. "But the one thing we've never really strayed from, and I don't think we will, is the focus on drafting people and not players. I think the characteristics of winning players, they multiply at a greater level than just talented players. They scale up better."

Drafting people, not players, is a long-standing Presti-ism. It has worked out. Not only to net Oklahoma City its first professional sports championship, but the bond the community shares with these players is special.

It has certainly played a part in fostering development up and down this roster through sacrifice and hard work. Both of which showed up in the NBA Playoffs.

At various points, everyone in Mark Daigneault's typical 12 man rotation had games or moments that helped win the 16 games required for a title. Most of them saw fluctuating roles in the three month process to win a ring without any complaints. That can only happen with complete buy in from top to bottom. A trait that steams from the Thunder's ideology of people first.

"I think for us, when you're adding people that you believe in and that have the same traits as the people that are helping to drive a lot of your interval growth, you have a chance to get compounding results from that, and that's what drew us so these individuals," the Thunder's top decision maker continued.

The Thunder's rookie class of Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer carries a team-first identity with each having a path to contribute right away to the defending champs.