The Thunder's Young Players Could Be Heavily Impacted By The Preseason

The newest OKC players' futures could change based on preseason performance.

Sep 28, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Bennett Stirtz (14) poses for a photo during Oklahoma City Thunder Media Day at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just how important is the preseason for OKC’s young players? 

The Oklahoma City Thunder open up preseason play on Tuesday night as they take on the New Orleans Pelicans to begin their 2026-27 campaign. Although the preseason won’t count for the team’s record or ranking, it will be a good opportunity for the team’s young talent to get playing time. But just how important are these young players' performances?

Oklahoma City is bound to give more time to the squad’s younger players with so many veterans not playing in the opener, and this opening bout will be the perfect opportunity to show off how they can perform on an NBA floor. Their performances won’t just impact the outcome of the game, but could very well help impact the rest of the year for the players. 

On the one hand, you have rookies like Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz who have secured roster spots but are going to be clawing for minutes. These two will be trying to work their way up to rotational minutes during the season and could be a key part of the rotation by the end of the year. 

Mara will be looking to showcase how he can function as the team’s big man, stringing together post scoring with his ability to pass the ball. Stirtz will be looking to prove he can be another serious deep-range threat in the Thunder’s arsenal and could contribute for OKC down the stretch. 

Additionally, you have other young players like Otega Oweh and Josh Dix, who are still trying to prove their spot on the OKC roster. These two players are both on two-way contracts and are potentially trying to show why they deserve the last full roster spot OKC has open. Oweh and Dix potentially have the most to gain, but also have the most to lose, as a bad showing could hinder how many times they are brought up during the season. 

These young bucks will have five chances in the preseason to show their stuff before things get real when the regular season begins. These five games could be the proving ground some of them need, or could be a sign that they aren’t ready for the moment. 

So while the preseason might not be the most important period of games in itself, this stretch has the capability to set up some players for the remainder of the season, while also having the chance of putting some players in a hole they’ll have to dig out of.