The OKC Thunder have one of the most exciting young cores in the entire NBA. When you couple that with the fact the team made a 16-win improvement a year ago, earning a bid to the play-in tournament, and will add two top-ten picks and a two-time EuroLeague MVP to this squad, it is easy to see why the excitement is high for the Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fanbase is buzzing at the start of Training Camp, as this 2023-24 team represents not only the 16th year of Thunder basketball but the most anticipated squad since the turn of the decade. However, Media Day provided us with a fun story that might make all the difference on the court.
The OKC Thunder might have their biggest improvement come in the Equipment room following a stunning revelation at training camp.
You might have noticed a few more players wearing headbands at Media Day than usual. This caught my attention immediately; why would they do this? Is this a coordinated effort? Is this just for “Drip”? Do they think it gives them a tactical advantage?
Then, Lindy Waters III walked in, sporting the white headband, and my world was rocked. If you follow the proverbial paper trail, Waters III is where this headband controversy starts.
Last season, I caught up with the two-way wing and asked him point blank: Why did you ditch the headband? Lindy Waters III gave a fair answer. “It squeezed my head too much,” he explained. Whom amongst us would like their head squeezed? That’s right, no one.
So why go back? Is this some no pain, no gain philosophy? No! Instead, innovative technology in the world of Headbands can be the critical difference for the OKC Thunder.
DEVELOPING: Lindy Waters III tells me the headband is back. He ditched it last year due to it squeezing his head too much as I reported last season but he made a tweak…He is now going with a Dri-Fit headband instead of cotton and believes this will fix the issue. pic.twitter.com/wThvZ8YpGs
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Lindy Waters III is not sporting a Dri-Fit headband, as opposed to its tightly squeezing cotton material counterpart. Kenrich Williams will debut a new headband look also, sporting that same Dri-Fit white handband.
I asked Kenrich Williams about Cason Wallace after he called his shot with Jalen Williams’ all star potential last year and if the headband is here to stay: he confirms the headband is here to stay, and he says “go ahead and buy your stock [in Cason Wallace] right now.” pic.twitter.com/VVKUlpeRud
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
While Kenrich Williams is confident he will keep the new look heading into the season, Aaron Wiggins was just giving the handband a trial run at Media Day on Monday. Wiggins is “Feeling it out,” he tells me. Why is that? Could it possibly be due to a squeezing problem?
Continuing the headband beat, Aaron Wiggins tells me he is just “feeling it out” right now doesn’t know if he will keep it but he is also wearing Dri-Fit, not cotton. Not making the same mistake as Lindy last season. pic.twitter.com/MTzX5XILPi
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
No matter what, I am glad we have gotten to the root of the issue last season with the hand bands and the correction made by the OKC Thunder equipment staff. We will be tracking how often this trio sports the handbands all year long, and if they ditch the look, we will get to the bottom of why.