OKC Thunder: What to watch for in preseason opener

OKC Thunder attempt an NBA revolution and it will be televised

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a small market, Free Agents, which are one of the lifebloods of NBA championships, will not flock to Bricktown. That leaves Oklahoma City with two avenues to improve their team, the NBA Draft and trading for disgruntled stars who likely only have a year or two left on their deal.

OKC Thunder General Manager Sam Presti has set the team up for success in the NBA Draft, as well as the trade market, with the draft assets he has compiled.

However, the Thunder are not stopping there they are trying to find a competitive edge on the court by building their team differently.

Similar to the Oakland A’s “Moneyball” era, when the A’s focused on statistics and player values other teams did not care about at the time, the Thunder are trying to find their version of On-base Percentage. What is something NBA teams are overlooking?

I mean, what is left? We have seen the Rockets try to play without a Center, we have seen the Pelicans build a team with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis which performed well until Cousins’ injury, we have seen teams only value three-point shooters, what is left? What is the next evolution of the sport?

That is what Mark Daigneault and Sam Presti are trying to figure out. Their vision is clear, they hope one day close to if not all 17 players on the OKC Thunder roster will be able to handle the ball, pass, play make, rebound, and create.

This allows the team to push the pace, running in transition no matter which player hauls in the rebound, they hope it’ll create floor spacing for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is an elite drive-and-kick option, and most importantly the chance at creating a mismatch every time down the floor.

If you trust every player to initiate the offense, that means every player must be able to play off-ball, each time down the floor you could see SGA in a different spot. For defenses, he is their priority, so as they scramble to find him on the floor, you are into your offensive action and plotting your next move.

Can a team of five playmakers on the floor at all times work? Can it gel together? Today is our first look at the new era in Oklahoma City Thunder history.