OKC Thunder Roll Into 2026-27 With Plenty of Lineup Combination

The Oklahoma City Thunder have made changes this summer. Not only have they brought in three new pieces in the 2026 NBA Draft by way of Aday Mara (No. 12 pick), Bennett Stirtz (No. 16 pick) and Otega Oweh (No. 41 pick) but they have lost staple starter Lu Dort, sharpshooting bench guard Isaiah Joe and bench scorer Aaron Wiggins. This is while the team has to mix in rookie Thomas Sorber –– who missed all of last season with a torn ACL –- and 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic, who only played in 10 games a year ago after beating testicular cancer.

Things will look different in Bricktown, but as much as things change, the more they stay the same. The Thunder have a starting spot open with Dort in Atlanta and plenty of regular-season minutes to spare with Joe and Wiggins jetted off to the East.

Many people believe the conversation for the fifth starter is down to a pair of young guards. Defensive ace Cason Wallace or emerging scoring threat Ajay Mitchell. Whoever comes off the bench will still serve a massive role for the team. This rising young guard tandem will be instrumental in the team's title quest.

Despite the offseason of changes, the Thunder still have plenty of options within their roster to construct a ton of different lineup combinations that prove to be beneficial in winning multiple ways.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have to reimagine how they play throughout the course of the season.

In what has been a team that has been built with a defense-first mentality, this season, the Thunder have the ability to put offensive-slanted lineups on the hardwood with ease.

In fact, many would consider its best five man group to be superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2025 postseason breakout Ajay Mitchell, All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams, All-NBA big man Chet Holmgren and starting center Isaiah Hartenstein. That provides OKC with four true adventage creating playmakers in Hartenstein, Williams, Mitchell and Gilgeous-Alexander, three bucket-getting scorers with the latter three and an elite play finisher from a year ago in Holmgren.

This isn't to mention the 3-point shooting and upside of Jared McCain coming off his first healthy offseason, the chances for Cason Wallace to improve on that end, the possibility of Bennett Stirtz being an impactful shooter in year one and the pure playmaking chops of Nikola Topic if the youngster can carve out a role for himself.

Though, make no mistake, with Wallace, Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams and Holmgren, the team still has elite defensive players. With many more grading out as well above average. This gives Mark Daigneault a ton of different lineups to flip through that can be altered in a moment based on what a game dictates.

Oklahoma City will still find strength in versitility this season.

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