OKC Thunder: 3 individual matchups to watch during first half of schedule

The first half of the season schedule has been released for the OKC Thunder, and there are 3 specific matchups fans should want to see.

Seemingly as soon as their Cinderella-story 2019-20 season ended, the OKC Thunder shifted their attention from postseason contenders to No. 1 overall pick hopefuls for the 2021 NBA Draft.

This was made evident by their plethora of offseason trades that landed them a perfect combination of undesirable contracts, expendable players, and future draft assets to add to their already illustrious collection.

The rebuild is real for OKC in 2020-21, as they begin to build around young stud Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and put all their focus on the future for the franchise.

However, though this year is not expected to be anything special for the Thunder, this is not to say there won’t be any reasons to tune in and watch your favorite team play the sport you love.

With the recent release of the first half of this year’s schedule, fans are able to see what Oklahoma City’s matchups will look like from opening night on December 23rd all the way to March 4th.

During these 30+ games, there will be a select few individual matchups that may peak the intrigue of spectators.

Today, we at Thunderous Intentions list the 3 most attention-grabbing individual matchups fans should tune in for:

Matchup to watch No. 1) Shai Gilegous-Alexander vs. Chris Paul (January 27th)

To start things off we bring up the game that all OKC Thunder fans are longing to see this year — the battle between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul.

After having a miraculous season in Oklahoma City, Paul was inevitably dealt to the Phoenix Suns this offseason, thus kicking off the team’s current rebuild phase. Because of this move, it is widely assumed that SGA will now be taking over top-dog duties, a role CP3 held last season.

No, this matchup has no “bad blood” vibes present, as SGA recently referred to the All-Star guard as a “brother for life.” However, what makes this battle one for fans to circle in on their calendar is the storyline of “padawan becomes the master.”

As Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey cited, the “passing of the torch” aspect to this game makes it a must-watch for the OKC faithful:

"When they play each other, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have a chance to deploy some of the knowledge Paul passed onto him against his former mentor. It’ll be like the one-on-one matchup you had with your dad in the backyard. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader. Neo vs. Morpheus."

Remember January 27th, folks, for It may be one of the few games this year that will consist of some actual meaning.