Will Thunder Sitting Starters Help Them Or Hurt When The Season Rolls Around?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are back on the hardwood, as they have played two of their six preseason games. In their two games, they have played the Hornets and the Mavericks. The Thunder will also see the Mavericks once again in the first week of the regular season.

The Mavericks allowed their starting five to get solid minutes in the matchup, whereas the Thunder sat all of their starting five and other key players like Aaron Wiggins and Alex Caruso. This, of course, made sure OKC’s core didn’t risk injuries in games that don’t really matter, but did facing the Mavericks without their starters help them or hurt them for their matchup during the first week of the regular season?

Positives

Like previously stated, it's always a plus when all of your key players are healthy, and not playing them in the preseason guarantees they won’t get hurt during it. This was a necessity for the Thunder as multiple players have already been sidelined, like Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic.

Another positive is that it allows developing players to get more reps and experience. Players like Jaylin Williams and Cason Wallace have had the ability to lead the preseason Thunder team, which could allow them to be more prepared than usual when their time comes to sub into the game against the Mavericks on Oct. 27.

Finally, the Mavericks don’t know what all the Thunder are capable of this season, whereas the Thunder have seen the Mavs at full strength. Of course, it was only for a limited amount of minutes, but after Monday night, they have seen how the Mavs roster meshes and plays together.

Negatives

Although the Thunder have witnessed the Mavs at full strength, the Thunder’s key players have yet to get hands-on experience against them. Granted, the Thunder are still considered the best in the league coming off an NBA championship, but will they be ready right out of the gate, having not played since June?

Another negative impact could be the Thunder starters not meshing well with new players. OKC plays a style of basketball where players are positionless, and coach Mark Daigneault loves mixing and matching lineups to fit that mold. Not allowing players like Brooks Barnhizer to get live reps with the starting five could make for difficult situations if they are to be in the game together once the season rolls around.

The defending champs will have to expect everyone’s best going into every game, and with the Thunder’s starting five not getting preseason minutes, they will have to be ready to take on the positives and negatives that go along with that.