The Thunder's Young Players Are Getting Prepped For Later In The Season

The Thunder will be ready to rely on their young players in the future.

Oct 6, 2026; Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Aday Mara (15) stands during the first half of a preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The preseason could be preparing the Thunder for down the line. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of their preseason, with another matchup on Monday night, this time against the Atlanta Hawks. The OKC squad will look a little different this game, as a majority of the team is not traveling to Atlanta for this game. The skeleton crew will only consist of the team’s rookies, its two-way players and the Exhibit 10 players, as they will be tasked with trying to win the team’s first preseason game. 

While this doesn’t seem like the ideal situation when it comes to winning games, this could be exactly what OKC needs to prepare for later in the season.

It was apparent last year that the Thunder need all players healthy if they are going to truly compete for a championship, as all hope seemed to dwindle when both Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams were unavailable for the majority of the conference finals. To avoid this, the Thunder will have to give their key players rest at certain points in the regular season, and the younger players will be tasked with stepping up. 

Therefore, it’s the perfect opportunity to get the young bucks used to this in the preseason, and so far they have been proving that they can handle the task. Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz have been running the show, as the two rookies have handled the majority of the offensive load. 

Mara is averaging 17 points per game on 100% shooting over the first two games and has made his presence known on the defensive side of the ball. He has also put in work on the glass, grabbing 15 rebounds combined in both outings. 

Stirtz has also made his presence known, as the young guard has made seven threes over the course of two games and is averaging 17.5 points per game. The two rookies have played spectacularly together and will look to continue to do so for the rest of the preseason. 

OKC is even looking to the two-way players to learn from experience, as they will also get chances to shine during the season, especially with only 14 players on the roster. These experiences will be so helpful for the team’s future and could help the young players be prepared to take on a bigger role once they are called upon as the year continues to go on.