Preseason basketball wrapped up on Thursday for the Oklahoma City Thunder, finishing with a 5-1 record. While many people say not to overreact to the preseason, I say why not? The Thunder core played amazing and is giving fans a lot to look forward to this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s young core played exceptionally in the preseason, giving fans a reason to get excited about the upcoming season.
Three-point shooting is probably the biggest takeaway from the Thunder preseason. OKC has historically struggled to shoot the ball, but last year was the worst. The Thunder shot just 32 percent from three as a team, ranking dead last in the NBA and the worst percentage since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. To combat the shooting woes, the Thunder hired long-time Spurs shooting coach, Chip Engelland.
The expectation was that Engelland would help the team shoot better over the years and that the impact would not be immediate. However, the Thunder were an elite shooting team in the preseason, making 38 percent of shots behind the line. For perspective, that percentage would rank first in the NBA last season.
Now obviously it’s unlikely the Thunder shoot the ball this well in the regular season, but it’s very possible they significantly boost their percentage from last season, maybe even into the top half of the league.
Aaron Wiggins was the biggest contributor from deep, shooting an absurd 55 percent from three on three attempts per game. Although the sample size is small, Wiggins also had the hot hand in Summer League, where he shot 42 percent from three. Wiggins could be a sharpshooter off the bench for the Thunder this season, as well as moving forward.
Josh Giddey made a huge improvement shooting the ball, becoming the complete package offensively. Last year, Giddey won every Rookie of the Month award he was eligible for, averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in his rookie campaign. The one major weakness in his game last season was shooting.
He finished the year shooting 26 percent from three on three attempts per game. A well below-average percentage, but we knew Giddey wouldn’t be a knockdown shooter right away. Well in the preseason, he’s already making strides toward becoming a better shooter.
Giddey shot 53 percent on three attempts per game. I know the sample size isn’t large, but it’s not every day a player doubles their shooting percentage. But the difference isn’t just shots falling in his favor. Giddey looks much more confident shooting the basketball, comfortably stepping into jump shots.
He’s improved in more areas than just shooting, too. He looks visibly stronger, welcoming contact at the rim and even playing tougher defense. It’s easy to see while watching that he truly has superstar potential in this league. Even his inbound passes are must-see TV.
The Thunder rookies showed in preseason they can be impact players right away for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder walked out of the 2022 NBA Draft with three lottery picks. Headlining the rookie class was prized Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren. Unfortunately, the Thunder will be without Holmgren for the entirety of the regular season due to a foot injury. However, the remaining rookies played exceptionally well in the preseason, adding to an already strong Thunder core.
Jalen Williams, the 12th overall pick, looked like the steal of the draft in the preseason, averaging 14 points per game on 61 percent shooting from the field. We knew Williams would be an impact player right away, spending three years at Santa Clara before leaping to the NBA. What we didn’t know is just how good he would be out of the gate, especially his playmaking.
Williams averaged five assists per game in the preseason, including a 13-assist game against Maccabi Ra’anana. We knew Williams could score the ball and play defense, but to see him be effective as a primary ball-handler is a pleasant surprise.
One of the biggest surprised of the Thunder preseason was Ousmane Dieng, the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Dieng was labeled as a high-ceiling project that wouldn’t be an impact player right away. However, he proved those people wrong in the preseason.
Dieng averaged 11 points per game with a 69 true shooting percentage in the preseason, not to mention his elite defense. What’s most impressive about Dieng’s preseason was his fluidity with the basketball. Multiple times per game I was in awe that a near seven-footer was moving like that. His body movement is very similar to that of Kevin Durant. Not saying he’ll become the scorer that Durant is, at least not yet, but it’s encouraging to see him move so well at just 19 years old.
Lu Dort and Tre Mann continue to improve their offensive games, showing flashes of elite scoring.
It was also encouraging to see Lu Dort be an efficient scorer. In his career, Dort has struggled with consistency, which is echoed in his shooting percentage. Over his three years with OKC, Dort has shot just 39 percent from the field. This preseason, Dort shot 54 percent from the field, looking much better around the rim, which is somewhere he’s struggled to produce.
What’s even crazier is his ability to score the ball. In Dort’s rookie season, he was labeled an offensive liability. A couple of years later, he’s averaging 17 points per game and only getting better.
This preseason, Dort averaged a mind-boggling 33 points per game per 36 minutes. Although Dort only played in three games in the preseason, there is no denying that Dort’s offensive game is only getting better and better.
Tre Mann is another player who is only getting better and better on the offensive side of the ball. Mann averaged 16 points per game in the preseason while shooting 52 percent from three on over seven attempts per game. The shots have been falling for Mann, and a lot of that is because he’s always getting himself open. I don’t think it’s too outrageous to say he has one of the best step-back moves in the league.
Mann has all the tools to be a primary scorer off the bench, and I expect him to receive Sixth Man of the Year votes this season. He’s the exact player you want to come off the bench and make an immediate impact on the offensive end.
I think the Thunder have a real opportunity to make a play-in push. Whether or not they should try to be competitive or not is a different story, but there’s no denying this team has talent. At least this team has enough talent to beat any team on any given night, especially if we get a healthy season from star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Although the Thunder may not be a very good team, improvement is key. And as a super young core continues to get better and better, it won’t be long until the Thunder are back in playoff contention.