Would the OKC Thunder make the perfect ‘Hard Knocks’ team?

The Oklahoma City Thunder caught the eyes and ears of the NBA world last season. Much of that had to do with them snatching the first seed and securing 57 wins, the most since the 2015 season. But another thing that has become increasingly evident about this team is how well they vibe on and off the court.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s vintage fashion, Jalen Williams’ pre-game t-shirts with faces of teammates and coaches on them, Chet Holmgren, the unofficial scribe of the bunch, who’s often promoting his guys on social media, just to name a few things that passionately unite one of the youngest rosters in the association.

A good ‘Hard Knocks’ candidate?

“Hard Knocks,” an NFL-based reality show partially produced by HBO, first aired in 2001 and became an instant hit. The show consists of several episodes documenting a team’s preparation for the upcoming season and what happens inside training camp. For football fans, this level of exposure was a fresh perspective and fascinating to watch. Years later, Hard Knocks helped the popularity of the NFL grow, even among casual viewers.

So, why not the same for the NBA? Bleacher Report gathered a panel of writers to share their opinions on which teams would make a perfect candidate if the league decides to take a page out of the NFL’s book.

“Sign me up for a segment on Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams explaining what "rizz" is to head coach Mark Daigneault,” writes BR’s Dan Favale. “And I 100 percent need to see Alex Caruso and Lu Dort guarding each other in practice—or, in tandem with Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace, discussing how they plan to ruin the existence of 29 other offenses. Which Thunder player has the best pregame playlist? Who is secretly obsessed with mid-2000s emo? (And why is it, Kenrich Williams?) Then, of course, there's the Sam Presti of it all. Give me as much time in both the draft days and trade-deadline war rooms as humanly possible. What do negotiations with other teams even look like?”

Fans getting the opportunity to go inside the Thunder would be excellent publicity for a small-market team. Not only that, but witnessing one of the league’s youngest rosters — through its struggles and victories — trying to tap into its championship window and graduate to perennial contender status would give the world a fascinating perspective on sports.

There haven’t been any realistic conversations about the NBA receiving its version of a Hard Knocks show or something similar. But it may be exactly what fans need to get them through the offseason.

Related: Here's OKC’s projected leader for every major stat category next season