Projected OKC Thunder Starting Lineup and Rotation for 2026-27: What we Learned This Week

Assessing who could be starting for the Thunder in a matter of weeks.

Sep 28, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) poses for a photo during Oklahoma City Thunder Media Day at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma City Thunder are officially in ramp-up mode. They went through Media Day for the 2026-27 season on Monday, and are now three days into training camp.

There are still plenty of familiar faces in Oklahoma City, though it did undergo its most transformational offseason in some time. The squad lost three bonafide contributors due to offseason trades, including longtime starter and former All-Defense selectee Luguentz Dort. Additionally, OKC added three rookies at the ’26 NBA Draft.

Given all that change, the Thunder are set to look different in the upcoming season, specifically in this starting lineup. Info gleaned at media day and training camp could give a good indication as to who will be starting for Oklahoma City this season:

The Starters:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein

There’s been plenty of deliberation about who will start in Dort’s stead, with Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and even Jared McCain being thrown out as options. Head coach Mark Daigneualt didn’t commit to anything at Media Day, though he was definitive in his answer about his trust with Wallace.

"He's started a lot of games,” Daigneault said at Media Day Monday. “So I'm not going to get into any rotation stuff, but he's started Finals games for us — he's somebody that I trust as much as anybody."

There’s still a chance that the “re-imagining” of OKC lends itself to a more offensive-focused system. Though if Oklahoma City is still wanting to lean into defense, Wallace is a natural extension of Dort.

Decision-maker Sam Presti said at his own introductory press conference that the Thunder trust Wallace, which branched from the Dort trade.

The Backups:

Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Bennett Stirtz, Kenrich Williams, Aday Mara

Should the Thunder roll with Wallace in the first five out, they’ll still have numerous talented contributors in the backend rotation. Mitchell is likely to assume ball-handling ability this season, alongside sharpshooter Jared McCain. 

Caruso remains a pivotal piece to the defensive puzzle for OKC, and players like Stirtz, Kenrich Williams, Mara and more will have chances to carve out large roles this season.

“Very advanced, they’re all really meshing really well,” Jalen Williams said of OKC’s young core at training camp. “I think our team kind’ve brings that out of them too — we have very open dialogue with our team, everybody can come in and be themselves and I think that’s when you get the best version of a lot of players.”