OKC Thunder season opener part deux: 3 keys vs. Hornets

After a postponed opening date the OKC Thunder will finally launch their 2020-21 campaign versus the Charlotte Hornets. TI serves up three keys to focus on.

Boxing Day is upon us and with it, there is one more gift for Thunder Nation to feast our eyes upon. Remember that present under the tree you kept squeezing and shaking trying to figure out what was hidden inside that fresh sparkly packaging? Well, that’s sort of how tonight’s debut for the OKC Thunder feels.

Anticipation has been building since the draft. A seeming revolving door of entrances and exits occurring in a truncated offseason. And small teases came courtesy of three preseason matches. Yet, finally, a game that counts toward the regular season will occur.

Wednesday, December 23rd was originally slated on the itinerary for the season opener in Houston. But amidst a superstar versus franchise power struggle and complications due to the pandemic the Thunder were put on ice. The Rockets were forced to postpone the match because they couldn’t dress the minimum requirement of eight players.

Subsequently, the team flew home and held a robust practice on Christmas Eve to maintain rhythm and keep as close to a routine as possible. Finally, the team who are equally anxious to launch the season will join the 28 teams who’ve launched their seasons.

This match is also on the road facing another young rebuilding team, the Charlotte Hornets. They opened the season on Wednesday losing an offensive showdown 114-121 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Three keys to focus on in OKC Thunder match versus Hornets

The Thunder are unicorns of the NBA this season with more roster turnover than any opponent. Six players remain from the Clutch Time Killers including cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, Hamidou Diallo, Isaiah Roby, and Mike Muscala.

Including the two-way contracted players that equates to 11 new faces who’ll represent the Thunder this season.

Fluid Positionless Lineups:

What we know for certain is new head coach Mark Daigneault will not run with a cemented starting rotation. Nor should fans expect his pregame media session to provide those names. It’s more likely we’ll learn these details just prior to tip.

The other certainty is Daigneault is committed to positionless basketball to augment the space and pace style the Thunder are moving toward.

Certainly, there are the inevitable locks such as the young trio (possibly quartet) of Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, and Bazley. TI’s Ryan Lewis dove into more specifics in his article.

Diallo will be presumably be afforded ample opportunity to claim a role within the starting lineup or as a Sixth Man.

The latter equation arising because there are competing objectives this season. Case in point, if Sam Presti wants to showcase George Hill’s attributes to up his trade value he’ll need to receive consistent playing time with a group he can form chemistry with.

Initially because of the presumed desire to trade Hill and possbly Horford it wouldn’t be surprsing if Daigneault starts the season with a lineup of:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• George Hill
• Luguentz Dort
• Darius Bazley
• Al Horford

Who gets the first tap off the bench would presumably start with Hamidou Diallo and the rookies. Above and beyond those substitions it really could be a shifting narrative from game to game depending on matchups and hot hands.

Even the playing time Daigneault affords the rookies could fluctuate. While the Thunder want Poku and Theo to excel they aren’t going to put them in a position were their confidence could be impacted negatively.

Fluid feels like the best way to describe what the rotations will look like.