With NBA training camps opening next week basketball fans all over the world are getting excited to witness their favorite players and teams back in action. The deep and exciting crop of rookies is also at the top of the narrator’s list of must-see TV. And while the OKC Thunder won’t be in the mix to win a title it doesn’t mean fans won’t flock back to witness this young exciting team in person.
To that end, the Thunder fans will return to the same venue but with a new name – the newly dubbed Paycom Center. It’s not the only difference the Thunder franchise will experience this season. For example, it’s the first time in 14 seasons the team will actively be vying to post a losing campaign, and the first time in 14 seasons they’ll post back-to-back losing seasons.
However, as we prepare for another tanking season there are some commonalities about our Thunder squad which resonate throughout those 14 years. Let’s look at three that stand out.
OKC Thunder top three common trends through 14 seasons
Winning Culture:
Over 13 seasons the OKC Thunder have developed a reputation. Executive vice president and general manager, Sam Presti did an excellent job of building a winning culture in the OKC. If we look back to the past two seasons it offers evidence of how intrinsic that attitude is.
When Chris Paul arrived most assumed he’d spend half the season in OKC and get traded at the deadline and the teardown of the team would commence. Instead, the Thunder took the initial 20 games to find their rhythm, particularly with the three point guard offense. That segment of the season they recorded an 8-12 record then finished the year 36-16.
Last year, the team was losing, but not by enough, and suffered at the end of the season when they failed to land in the bottom three of the league. That likely cost them the ability to nab one of those top three draft picks. In reflection, the culture of winning is so inherently organic within the team it required some tweaks to get on a losing track.
Al Horford was shut down for the second half, players dealing with injuries were given ample time to recover and head coach Mark Daigneault often had to run out lineups featuring players who would never finish games in a typical season.
The assumption is this season should be easier to tank — but are we sure? Yes, there are 11 players under 23 on the club, but Daigneault will still likely have to do some fancy lineup tweaks in closing time.
OKC Thunder point guards are talents and fashion mavens
In every season of the team’s existence, the OKC Thunder has featured a top-level point guard. Russell Westbrook held the reigns for the majority of the team’s existence but there has never been a step back.
When Brodie left, he was replaced by a trio of point guards with Chris Paul being the main playmaker along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder. Last season Shai took over the main stage and was augmented by rookie Theo Maledon.
In addition, the team’s scheme is to try to build into a positionless club so untraditional ball handlers like Aleksej Pokusevski are also in the mix.
Yet, another interesting commonality is the two main point guards the Thunder have featured are both very passionate about fashion. Westbrook has his own fashion line “Honor the Gift”, wrote a book on fashion “Style Drivers” and has sold copious kicks with his signature shoe under Nike’s Jordan brand.
As per the recent GQ article, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cited his two favorite passions in the universe as basketball and fashion.
"“Clothes and then basketball, that’s 1A and 1B.”"
As Rylan Stiles of Intentions recently noted, SGA will release a special player exclusive Converse shoe on October 1st.
SGA was in New York to participate in New York Fashion Week as was Westbrook. The Thunder past and present were on hand sitting in the front row of the Tom Ford show in New York. Shai posted the picture in his Zimbio account.
While both players are bringing the fire off the court, this season fans can expect to see them continue the trend of present and former OKC point guards feasting on the hardwood too.
Oklahoma City is the best-kept secret in the NBA
Intentions frequently point out the disadvantages small markets face especially when it comes to signing free agents.
But something that might be the best-kept secret in the association is how great Oklahoma City is. Players will always say ‘we have the best fans in the world about their current clubs. It’s common courtesy to love your fan base. That said, it’s not like we ever hear about players saying how great living in Cleveland is right?
In contrast, something that does occur with players who come to OKC is they love the city. The players often open businesses in the community. When Kevin Durant was in town he opened a restaurant while Nina Westbrook (Russ’ wife) opened The Little Ark – a children’s boutique that also offers classes and is still operating.
Once with the team (other than Paul George), it’s not like players are pushing to leave the market. Recency bias draws me to Mike Muscala and his exit interview this past summer. Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman covered the interview:
"“I just feel like the organization’s values and the fans here and everything, it just aligns with what I feel. It made it just really gratifying to come in every day and go to work … when so many people were struggling with COVID and all that. Just even the opportunity to play basketball just meant a lot to me.”"
Moose teared up as he spoke about the franchise, the city, and the fans.
Let’s just say if you’re going to be known for something it doesn’t hurt that winning culture, fashionable, talented point guards, and an amazing community is the trio that tops the list!