The Thunder added several key elements to the team building process over the summer that may not be complete yet.
Sam Presti will almost certainly spend the rest of the summer rounding out the team, trading veterans, and filling holes in the roster for depth purposes. For the most part, though, it seems like the general gist is set.
Heading into next season, Oklahoma City just has too much depth to roll out 10-day-only rosters at the end of the season. With injuries and constructive developments over the past few seasons, the Thunder have hobbled to the finish line with the bottom half of the roster and G-League partner.
Many fans thought OKC would adjust the roster crunch during the NBA Draft, but somehow the roster got even crunchier. Not only did Presti stick with both lottery selections, he added one more.
When analyzing the current squad, the blockade seems to be in the backcourt. There are many minutes to split between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Three Man, Lu Dort and Jayle Williams. On the apron, however, Oklahoma City kicks off the season in a unique place. There seem to be a few great men entering the “Prove it” years, while at the same time new, young talent is being brought in. The ramp-up in competition should have a positive effect on the Thunder Towers.
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For example, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Darius Bazley were both asked to play heavy minutes and at times were the only big men available to step in and play. Not to mention backup redirects like Isaiah Roby and Alexey Pokusevski still seem to find their way into the mix somewhere. With the additions of #2 Pick Chet Holmgren and early selection in the second round Jaylin Williamsthe season situation could be interesting.
While Markus Daigneault Didn’t have many front seat options last season, added depth brings added responsibility. As the draft roster comes together gradually as opposed to projects and experiments, this could be a big season for developing chemistry and determining lineups. The “younger” players, now entering their second or third year, may not have such a long leash of inconsistent play on the court.
If Holmgren is entered as one of the starters, Bazley or Robinson-Earl seem like realistic options to pair him with given their frame and rim protection abilities. After that, however, the game time for the Thunder seems to be up for grabs in a good way.
Unlike last season, there is actual depth and minutes players can earn. Even if there are injuries later, there’s enough youth, talent and excitement to be an intriguing team. The additional competition could lead to an overall improvement.
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