OKC Thunder to Play Preseason Game in Canada

The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing a preseason game in Montreal, Canada on Oct. 12, the team and NBA announced on Thursday. Their matchup will come against the Detroit Pistons and the two teams are participating in the ninth NBA Canada series.

This is the first time since 2016 that the Thunder are playing in an international preseason game. It's a good indicator of what to expect from the Thunder as a market now that they've got a plethora of young talent with star potential.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder's All-Star guard, is coming off a first-team All-NBA season. He's also a Canadian native, so it makes sense that the team is being included. He's playing with Canada in the FIBA World Cup along with his Thunder teammate Lu Dort, who is from Montreal, Canada.

With the Thunder having plenty of international young talent, the team has the potential to be involved in more and more international preseason games. With the NBA wanting to continue going global, the Thunder are a good asset to the league with the amount of up-and-coming talent alongside international talent they've got.

Though there is no set time for the game, the date has been announced and the rest of the preseason schedule will be released along with the time of the matchup.

“So excited to bring the guys here and play here in Montreal,” Dort said in the team's announcement. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here at home so it’s going to be so great to play here and in front of the fans.”

The Thunder will be able to gain more exposure while getting an idea of what talent they're working with for the season. The preseason games will prove valuable for the coaching staff as they try to put together a potential rotation for the regular season.

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