The One Offensive Decision the OKC Thunder Must Make Before Opening Night

Assessing one major decision the Thunder must make ahead of the season debut.

May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) warms up prior to game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen a transformational offseason, sending out three players on the trade market, drafting three at the 2026 NBA Draft, and re-signing some veterans contributors.

Now, for the first time in two complete seasons, the Thunder will have decisions to make regarding their starting lineup, schemes, tactics and more.

One such decision could very well define the way the team plays the 2026-27 season: will they start Cason Wallace or Ajay Mitchell?

With Luguentz Dort having been traded to Atlanta for the three second-round picks, there’s officially a starting spot open for the first time in years. The team is sure to continue with two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his co-stars in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams in the starting lineup, as well as Isaiah Hartenstein to create a double-big lineup.

Now, the final spot feels a lock for either Wallace or Mitchell.

The decision, ultimately down to head coach Mark Daigneault and his staff, is likely to change how the Thunder operates for much of the season.

Inserting Wallace — likely the odds-on favorite at this point — would be a natural progression for OKC. Dort was a rigid point-of-attack defender who could bomb threes, size up to the wing and score downhill when needed. Wallace, a former Kentucky point guard, is slightly more skilled, but largely offers the same defense-first skillset.

Wallace earned what is likely to be his first All-Defense selection of many last season, ranking near the top of the league in steals.

Mitchell would be a major departure from the Thunder’s typical system, running another ball-handler, an essential secondary point guard, next to Gilgeous-Alexander. Heading into his third season, Mitchell has emerged as one of the top up-and-coming guards in the league.

While he may be better suited to command on-ball reps from the sixth-man role, he could also be talented enough to simply start while relieving offense pressure from the stars. Across 57 games in his second season, he went for 13.6 points on 49% shooting, massively upgrading his scoring output in the postseason before exiting in the Western Conference Finals due to injury.

Regardless of who is in the first five out for Oklahoma City, they won't be locked into anything regarding the closing lineup. And they have a wealth of options that few teams across the league do.

Given what we know about how the Thunder operate, they're likely to make a decision prior to the season and stick with it. Though with injury plenty of players could still get burn in the starting lineup.