The OKC Thunder established themselves as contenders last season by earning the No. 1 seed in the East behind MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 's incredible season. But the recipe for success in OKC goes far beyond Shai, as the team's incredible depth is one of their biggest tools. GM Sam Presti spoke to reporters on Wednesday and explained why having a deep roster is imperative to success .
“Last thing on the season and the length of it, I think the depth of teams in the league and I think depth, in general, is really important. I think depth relative to the parity in the league that we see now is directly linked because the teams are so deep.”
Presti went on to explain in detail how last season showed the importance of depth, particularly in the second half. There was a noticeable shift in officiating after the All-Star break as defenses became more physical and scoring across games started going down. The densely-packed second half of the season also led to injuries across Playoff teams, with Presti believing that depth is the only answer to those situations.
“The icing on the cake for all of that relative to the depth is the pace of the modern game is much different, so the days are the same. There's still 24 hours in the day. There was always physical basketball. But the amount of torque on the bodies and the way in which — and how many possessions there are within a modern NBA game is just a different load. That's why I think the depth is important to all teams, not just to our team, and I think we're well-positioned for that.”
The Thunder are being tipped to stay as the No. 1 seed in the East after adding Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso in the summer with Josh Giddey being the only relevant departure. Outside of that, the Thunder have a very young core who got another year of seasoning to be more impactful players this season.
The Thunder Masterfully Rebuilt Their Franchise
The OKC Thunder were among the best teams of the 2010s due to their drafting of league MVPs Kevin Durant , Russell Westbrook , and James Harden . With impactful rotational players like Serge Ibaka also coming through the Draft, the Thunder made a Finals appearance in 2012 and remained competitive until 2019 despite Durant and Harden leaving the franchise.
Their run as contenders ended when they traded Paul George to the LA Clippers in a franchise-altering move that still affects both teams. Team legend Russell Westbrook was dealt to the Houston Rockets for a massive haul as well.
The George trade landed the Thunder Gilgeous-Alexander, along with multiple first-round picks that are still yet to be conveyed. The 2021 Clippers pick allowed the Thunder to add Jalen Williams who was the team's second-leading scorer as a sophomore last season.
George left the Clippers this summer without helping them win a title, and the Clippers still owe their pick from the loaded 2025 NBA Draft to the Thunder as part of the 2019 trade.
With the franchise getting a taste of Playoff basketball last season, continuing to hold over 10 first-round picks in the coming years, and having a young and ascendant core after years of drafting well, the Thunder are going to be competing for championships for the remainder of this decade and the 2030s as well.
Related: 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder Roster By Tiers
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