The Oklahoma City Thunder, by all measures, should still be considered true championship contenders in 2026-27.
Although they were hampered by injuries to two of their primary offensive threats in Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams during their Western Conference Finals bout with the San Antonio Spurs, they still took the young upstarts to seven games, flashing a degree of intensity and defensive cohesion that should still put them easily among the NBA's top teams.
Of course, things will look a little different in 2026-27. Oklahoma City moved off Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe this offseason in separate trades, and they'll be counting upon their injection of young talent to help solidify the rotation.
But when it comes down to it in the playoffs, they'll need their stars and primary complementary players to be firing on all cylinders if they want to reach the summit again. Here, therefore, are the three primary developments Oklahoma City should be hoping for in 2026-27.
The Thunder need health and improvement from their primary pieces around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
1. Jalen Williams is fully healthy entering the postseason
This is the obvious one. The Thunder fell short against San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals because they didn't have the complementary scoring or the playmaking abilities of their second-best player at their disposal.
It seemed like last year was never truly meant to be for Williams. He missed the start of the season rehabbing a wrist injury he suffered during their championship run. He also sustained multiple hamstring injuries over the course of the campaign—the last of which ultimately ended his season.
He played just 35 games between the regular season and the playoffs. Even if the Thunder need to rest him extensively during the regular season to ensure he's healthy for a postseason run, having Williams enter the playoffs at full strength is what the Thunder's championship hopes will absolutely hinge upon. We can nitpick about his 3-point volume or his defensive role, but his availability, at the end of the day, is what will make or break Oklahoma City's season.
2. Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell both continue to take major strides
As painful as it was for Oklahoma City to move on from Dort, it was time for him to go. His efficiency had dropped significantly on the offensive end of the court, and the Thunder had two guards in the waiting to replace him in the starting lineup—Wallace and Mitchell.
While it seems, as of now, that Wallace will take on the starting role in Dort's stead as a result of his pure effectiveness as a perimeter defender, both of these pieces will be massively important to the Thunder's championship hopes in 2026-27. They need to squeeze more offensive juice out of Wallace if possible while continuing to lean into the defensive half of his game. Wallace certainly has some more upside to be unlocked as a ball-handler and a perimeter shooter, and his ability to accomplish that is what will determine his fit within the Thunder's starting five.
Mitchell, meanwhile, should be able to make a major impact even as the Thunder's sixth man, playing stretches with Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt and even operating as a primary ball-handler from time to time when he's called upon.
If both of these pieces can inch closer to their projected ceilings, Oklahoma City's backcourt could suddenly be a lot deeper, in terms of its versatility and variety of skill sets, than it has been over the past two seasons.
3. Chet Holmgren gets more aggressive and consistent on the interior
There are a lot of storylines we could've tabbed for this final spot. Isaiah Hartenstein's health will obviously be a factor, as will Alex Caruso's role and availability. But at the end of the day, this Thunder team is at its best when its three stars are all operating at full capacity. Holmgren, toward the end of last season's playoff run, was not.
Although he had his solid moments during the regular season, Holmgren averaged just 11.2 points in seven games against San Antonio, often struggling to get to his spots on the interior against the rangy Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the Spurs' physical defenders. Holmgren has improved drastically as an offensive player since he entered the league, but he still struggles at times to establish his presence in the paint on the offensive end of the court.
This iteration of the Thunder offense doesn't truly work without Holmgren operating as a dominant interior force. Even with both Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander fully clicking, Holmgren has the capacity to unlock doors for the offense, especially against a team like the Spurs, that no other player on the roster does.
Whether it's a matter of physical strength or mental confidence, he's going to need to take major strides in that aspect of his game if Oklahoma City wants to survive the gauntet that awaits them in 2026-27.
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