OKC Thunder will be catalyst to developing the positionless roster

OKC Thunder gets a head start to the positionless roster

Even though there are several prospects to be selected in the coming years (or draft picks packaged to add a superstar talent) the OKC Thunder already have the potential foundation in place. Let’s consider the five returning youngsters and the two rookies with a view to what the future plan is.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 6’5″ combo guard with All-Star potential: Offensively, Shai has proven equally capable of captaining the offense or playing off the ball. In his sophomore season, he led the Thunder in scoring and was a vital part of the team who tied with the Rockets for fourth in the West.

He can guard most positions but would have issues against the power of the nature of LeBron James or height and strength like Nicola Jokic. Since those are two unicorn type players that speaks to why SGA is considered the cornerstone of the Thunder future. Clearly, he’ll need to improve his perimeter scoring and take a step defensively but he’s already ahead of schedule.

Luguentz Dort 6’3″ guard/forward: While SGA will focus on developing his defense, part of the reason the team can let SGA afford him to take that time to develop is the man who sidles up beside him in the starting rotation.

Although Dort is the shortest on the team (same height as George Hill) he is OKC’s own version of a unicorn. His sheer strength makes him a candidate to defend big men while his speed, lateral quickness, reach, and high I.Q. afford him the ability to virtually defend any position or level of talent.  With the goal of the future Thunder to be equally adept at every position at both ends it’s not surprising he focused on 3-point shooting and ball-handling this offseason.

Darius Bazley 6’8″ power forward: There are already hints that Bazley will be special and I’d argue he’s the player that the team will attempt to build their prototype around. His ceiling remains uncertain but there are hints he could be very special on both sides of the hardwood.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

He has the lateral quickness to stay in front of speedy guards and while he’s not fully developed yet in terms of strength and size he’ll add muscle each season.  His length and reach are factors on both sides of the floor but one stat that demonstrates it best is he’s averaging 1.4 blocks per game so far (the 7′ Steven Adams averaged 1.1 last season)

Hamidou Diallo 6’5: wingman: Though there is a need to see a step from Diallo this year it’s primarily in terms of his consistency. While he could shock and become more than TI envisions he’s likely to always be an energy player who comes off the bench to add defensive intensity or push the pace to score in transition. Hami’s ability to develop any shot consistency from range could dial up his minutes and role.

Isaiah Roby 6’8″ power forward: Thunder Nation didn’t get to see much of the youngster last season but they’ve witnessed early this season why Presti targeted him in a trade. The Mavericks signed him to the biggest contract for a second-round draftee ever. We’re getting hints of why both the Mavs and Thunder were high on the youngster as his skill set is precisely in line with the positionless future of basketball.

Rookies Theo Maledon 6’4″ and Aleksej Pokusevski 6’11”: Both players are tall for their traditional position at point guard and small forward respectively. And while everyone is keen to see Poku reach his potential the early takeaway is Maledon may be the steal of the draft.

Ultimately the OKC Thunder are beginning the ‘Resiliency’ era with a great foundation of young talents and 18 potential first-round picks in the next seven seasons.

Presti has always had a prototype but it’s even more clearly defined as the squad sets their sights on future championships via a positionless roster.

What we’ve learned early in the 2020-21 campaign is even on the nights the OKC Thunder lose there are glimpses of what the future holds and most importantly they offer an exciting brand of ball. That’s rarely the case for lottery teams in a rebuilding phase.

As the team continues to build toward the future perhaps Presti’s next big move will be completing the first truly positionless roster. After drafting three consecutive future MVPs it makes sense he’d set a lofty goal and one that would push the association ahead.