OKC Thunder Bench Has Opportunity to Find Rhythm in Final Week

The Thunder should have plenty of opportunities available for the bench if they can take care of business.

Mar 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The postseason is just around the corner, and Oklahoma City could be in a perfect situation as the regular season winds down.

On Tuesday night, the Thunder will be in Los Angeles for one of their final four games of the regular season. Beginning a back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers, these two matchups could be the final meaningful ones of the regular season for the Thunder.

With Oklahoma City’s magic number to secure the top overall record down to two, wins over the next couple of nights would clinch the No. 1 seed over the San Antonio Spurs. With Jalen Williams set to miss the front half of the back-to-back, and the Lakers’ lengthy injury report, the Thunder’s bench could get an opportunity to play some important minutes.

Add in Mark Daigneault’s willingness to switch up the rotation on the second night of a back-to-back, and the Clippers game could also feature some extended minutes for some of the Thunder’s top bench players. Of course, winning those two games will be especially important for the Thunder’s hopes of getting their reserves involved more.

Assuming the Thunder get wins over the Lakers and Clippers to clinch the top seed, Oklahoma City could rest its top players for games 81 and 82. A common practice for teams that have their spot in the standings locked up at this point in the year, the Thunder could be set to give two full games of action to their reserves.

While the final game of the season against the Phoenix Suns could feature both teams resting, the Denver Nuggets will almost certainly have seeding to play for when the Thunder come to town on Friday night. With some amount of playoff focus likely for Denver, it could be a real opportunity for players like Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain and Aaron Wiggins to try and find themselves a bit before the playoffs.

Given the Thunder’s depth, they should still field a competitive rotation for each of the final two games if they choose to rest the top guys. These final matchups are still important for the Thunder, so they must take care of business and secure the top seed, but there’s a good chance the Thunder’s depth will earn the opportunity to shine over the next few games.

The playoffs are less than two weeks away, and the Thunder are rounding into form at the right time.