For the second year in a row, the OKC Thunder find themselves heading into the NBA Playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference standings and, in turn, with a ton of expectations.
Considering they finished with the top record in the league at 68-14, sport homecourt advantage throughout the postseason, and are spearheaded by the current frontrunner to win MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it should come as no surprise that Oklahoma City is being viewed as the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 NBA Finals.
However, in order for them to accomplish such a feat and bring back the franchise's first Larry O'Brien Trophy since 1979, it will require a full team effort, meaning many players beyond the likes of SGA and Jalen Williams will need to step up.
Frankly, though OKC's top tandem will undoubtedly be leaned on heavily throughout the postseason, there are a few non-established stars within Mark Daigneault's rotation who could be argued as being just as vital to a long and prosperous run, and, depending on how they play, could either make-or-break their title push.
Alex Caruso
Last summer, the Thunder traded away the younger and higher-upside talents of Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the elite 3&D services and championship experience of veteran guard Alex Caruso.
While there were many initial reactions to the transaction, ultimately, the primary mindset among fans and pundits was that this was a clear a win-now move for this young and promising ball club.
Now, 10 months later, it's finally time to put this experiment to the ultimate test.
Though hobbled by injuries and early shooting woes during his debut season in the Sooner State, Caruso has established himself as a key contributor within OKC's rotation, especially since the All-Star break where he's been dropping 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 41.0 percent from distance.
On top of this, the 31-year-old ranks first in the league in opponents field goal percentage per game (42.4) and deflections per minute (.18) out of those who have logged over 1,000 minutes on the year.
However, though his defensive skills and floor spacing abilities have proven to be virtually irreplaceable, perhaps his most valuable trait heading into the playoffs is his familiarity with being on an title-winning squad and what it takes to get to that point, as he served as a regular rotation player on the Lakers when they won the 2020 NBA Finals.
Though his on-court attributes will remain vital to them winning games, it's Alex Caruso's championship experience that now needs to shine through more than ever.
Aaron Wiggins
As was the case during last year's ill-fated playoff run, the Thunder have been far too reliant on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for offensive production in 2024-25.
Easily one of the biggest reasons for why so many doubt OKC's title chances, throughout the majority of the year naysayers have been quick to point to the fact that this team drops an elite 123.9 points per 100 possessions and boasts a 122.4 offensive rating with their cornerstone on the floor and then plummets to just 114.8 points and a 111.1 rating with him taken out.
In order to avoid a similar outcome to last year's postseason, where Dallas' defense swarmed SGA and dared others to step up in the scoring department, ultimately to no avail, the Thunder will need steady tertiary offensive weapons waiting to step up when needed.
Aaron Wiggins very well could be that for the ball club during this year's playoff run.
Putting forth easily the best campaign of his professional career, the 26-year-old carved out a crucial role within Oklahoma City's main rotation, serving as a trusty sparkplug scorer off the pine while averaging 12.0 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 38.3 percent from deep on a career-high 4.5 attempts per night.
Be it as an off-ball contributor (58.1 effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoot sets) or a primary option (averaged 31.5 points on 52.4 percent shooting during final two games of season with all starters sitting), Aaron Wiggins has the ability to wear many hats within an offensive scheme.
Hopefully his production can carry on through the playoffs and help alleviate some of the pressures upon Gilgeous-Alexander's shoulders.
Chet Holmgren
Though he may not have the All-Star credentials or the 21.6 points per game averages that his teammate Jalen Williams does, there's a strong case to be made that Chet Holmgren is the most important player on this Thunder team outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander heading into the playoffs.
One of the rare unicorns the game of basketball has, when fully healthy and completely locked in the 22-year-old is a 7-foot-1, triple-threat talent who can gobble up boards, defend the rim, and score at all three levels at an elite level.
Unfortunately, for the majority of this season, he's been far from meeting either one of these aforementioned qualifiers.
Since returning from his three-month-long, injury-induced absence, Holmgren has been noticeably inconsistent with his play and, as coach Daigneault even put it, "not fully himself."
Sure, he's been posting fine on-paper averages of 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks on 38.0 percent shooting from deep since his return to action, but the eye-test has shown serious hesitancy and vulnerability in his interior game, shooting just 44.2 percent from within three-to-ten feet from the rim on the year as a whole, a 7.9 percent drop-off from last season.
Prior to his right iliac wing fracture, Holmgren was finding himself amid a monstrous start to his sophomore go-around, as he was posting remarkable averages of 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks on 51.9 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent shooting from deep through nine fully healthy games.
During this stretch, the Thunder were producing at unbelievable rates, averaging an earth-shattering 15.0 net rating, boasting an elite .889 win-percentage, and registering a sensational per-game point differential of 15.4.
When Chet Holmgren is firing on all cylinders and in a rhythm, this OKC team have only proven themselves to be virtually unstoppable and they're going to need this type of production from him if they want their best chance of winning the 2025 NBA Championship.