OKC Thunder Veterans Must Lead The Way On Upcoming Youthful Team

The Thunder have a lot of new young players, so the OKC veterans must play damage control in crucial situations.

May 20, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) shoots as San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) defends during the third quarter during game two of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The Thunder are going into the 2026-27 season with a young squad. 

Oklahoma City has had one of the younger teams in the NBA for a couple of seasons now, but it has learned to succeed in this circumstance. Some of its younger players have stepped up and become some of the faces of the league. However, the already young team has gotten even younger this offseason, and the Thunder must make sure they don’t let this affect them too much. 

Because of OKC being so close to the second apron, they had to unload some contracts, and unfortunately, they came in the form of two veteran Thunder players in Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe. These veteran players were replaced by Oklahoma City’s draft picks, Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and Otega Oweh, who are all older compared to most rookies, but they still lack NBA experience. 

Additionally, Thomas Sorber is going into his first season, as he didn’t play last year, and Nikola Topic is still lacking in game reps. To add on, Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell are both only going into their third season, showing how young even the Thunder core is. 

Taking into account how young most of the Oklahoma City squad is, the team has to think that at some point, youthful mistakes will arise. It will be the Thunder’s veteran group that has to step up to make sure that this doesn’t hurt the team in the long run, and that the young players become more prepared as the season continues. 

You have the Thunder’s big three, who might be on the younger side, but are mature and skillful enough to help lead Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can take Stirtz under his wing and keep mentoring McCain and Mitchell as they become the next generation of star point guards. Holmgren will be able to help out the big men immensely, as he can help Sorber acclimate to the league after injury, while also helping Mara be the player OKC needs him to be. 

OKC will also have the experience of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to lead them through big moments, as both players are quite tenured and key pieces of the rotation. 

The Thunder are no doubt looking to help their young and upcoming players improve this season, and with that will come growing pains. In those situations, the Thunder veterans must be there to lead the way to make sure key games don’t slip away due to silly mistakes.