OKC Thunder Focused on Next Opportunity, Not a Championship Window

The Thunder couldn’t quite get the job done after securing the No. 1 seed, losing in the conference semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks. If it’s any consolation, that same Mavericks team is now in the Finals after beating Minnesota in five games. They’re a good team that got hot at the perfect time. Thankfully, Oklahoma City isn’t left searching for answers.

There are older teams in the NBA that needed a deep playoff run this season to justify keeping the core together. There are also teams with financial decisions and big choices looming with star players set to hit the market. Oklahoma City doesn’t fall into either category. The Thunder are in perfect position to be a contender for a long time, and there’s not a real concern on any front heading into a big offseason. The only thing to watch will be how the team improves.

And plenty of that improvement will likely be internal. Oklahoma City obviously isn’t too far off, meaning another step forward from Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren would be incredibly meaningful. Cason Wallace could easily improve after a big rookie season, and Josh Giddey is still young enough to bounce back from a tough stretch. It’s a good spot to be in.

Many people are talking about the Thunder’s title window being fully open next season, and for years to come, but the players aren’t viewing it like that. Quite honestly, Oklahoma City’s title window could’ve been open already considering how the team was a few missed 3-pointers away from swapping places with the Mavericks in the NBA Finals. But the Thunder players, like their general manager, will continue to focus on improvement — not a window. This will be a year by year opportunity.

“I don't know if I don't believe in a window or I don't focus on it, but I just feel like a window is like looking into the future and looking into like something you can't control,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said in his exit interview. “So all you can do is try to make the best of what you have in that moment and try to maximize what you have. Then from there, you get what you get.”

Using this experience will be crucial for the Thunder moving forward. Just one experience on top of another, year by year, until you can accomplish all of your goals. It would detrimental to put a time clock on it and look ahead into the future.

This group is too good and too young to do that. The experience is what matters, and this season, Oklahoma City tastes the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the playoffs. Falling short should only be motivation for next season.

“The moment I stepped off the court, it felt like, well, we're here,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We lost. We lost for a reason, and all you can do is learn and get better from that.

“That's how you ultimately get to where you want to go and where we want to go. It would be great to win a championship this year. It would be great to achieve all of our goals, but more often than not, you don't get them when you want them, you get them when you deserve them.”

As players go off to their national teams and some stay behind to develop with Oklahoma City’s training staff, the goal will be the same. Get one step better, so the team can take one step forward. It’s not about a window, it’s about next season.

“I think this is a bump in the road,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We learn from it. We get better. And hopefully get to our goal in the end.”

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