Who has the most pressure to perform for the OKC Thunder?
By Rylan Stiles
The Oklahoma City Thunder are building something special, and this offseason has gotten that buzz around Bricktown back for the organization. Fans are excited to see the new look OKC Thunder trot out first-round lottery pick Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, and Jalen Williams. Mixing them with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who has been playing at an All-Star caliber level, Josh Giddey who had a record-setting rookie season, and the newly paid Lu Dort has people excited about the possibilities this season.
While no one has a true grasp on how good this team can be, record-wise, it is hard to rely on so many young players to make a winning impact, and the record still does not matter. Sure, they will not win less than 25 games this season, as they have the previous two years, but the pressure will not be put on the team’s win total. Any wins OKC nets are just icing on the cake, the real pressure or goals this season are all based on player development.
Which players on the 2022-23 OKC Thunder roster are facing the most amount of pressure this season?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are in for, if nothing else, an interesting season. Sam Presti still can pivot at any given point, but if this team begins to play “games of consequence” it appears the organization would let the season play out organically. As mentioned before, the Thunder are not in a position as a franchise to have a lot of pressure baked into their win-loss record. If the cake is overcooked or needs more flour.
However, on an individual level, certain players on the roster have eminence pressure on them to perform and change the trajectory of their careers. So let’s rank the players on how much pressure they have on their shoulders this season and start with 2019 first-round pick Darius Bazley.