OKC Thunder: Setting the expectation level for fans this year

The OKC Thunder is hours away from the 2021-22 rendition of Media Day. Every player along with Mark Daigneault will be made available to the media on Monday in preparation for Tuesday’s tip-off to training camp when the team will have their first practice.

As we sit this morning preparing for another NFL Sunday with seven hours of commercial-free football, in a week, the NBA will be back in action for the preseason. On October 3rd, the Nets will take on the Lakers at 2:30 CST. The Thunder will get their exhibition slate underway the next day against the Hornets.

Setting expectations for the OKC Thunder

So what should we expect this season that is just hours away? Fans return to the Paycom Center for the first time since March 11th, 2020 when the NBA and the world were altered forever. For the first time since the inaugural season in Bricktown, fans will file into the arena and watch a team during a rebuild.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are not expected to make the postseason, some would go as far as to say they are not even aiming for it. Sam Presti, who has already spoken to those of us in the media, is already preaching patience to the Thunder faithful.

The organization is not taking shortcuts as they attempt to build a sustainable product that competes for championships for years to come. In the meantime, how do you evaluate a season, or set expectations, when the goal is ping pong balls and not playoff games?

If you checked out last year, I would not blame you. A lot was going on in the world, the season started in December, the schedule was so jam-packed it was overwhelming even for viewers, and the team was in the first year of a rebuild that did not see fans in the stands all season.

Welcome back to a somewhat normal NBA season, after the second shortest offseason in the league’s history, the Association returns to its mid-October start date, 82-game format and fans will litter arenas around the NBA.

The team is still just getting started with their rebuild, and when you make the trip to Bricktown, you will not see very many wins if this season goes according to plan. So what should you expect to see when you go watch the boys in blue?

This season is about player development. Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander add even more to his game? Can Lu dort round out his offensive game? What even is Aleksej Pokusevski? How does Josh Giddey fit in with another lead guard? Can Tre Man earn NBA minutes?

Storylines like those will be more important than the final scoreboard. Though, it is not all doom and gloom. For those that stayed dialed into Oklahoma City a year ago, the team plays hard and is capable of sneaking up on better opponents under Mark Daigneault, who I have already crowned the best coach in Thunder history.

Watching the young players grow is all you should expect this year, with the record being secondary. With any lottery luck, maybe the team can land a top overall pick and accelerate the timeline.