The 2024 postseason is rapidly approaching and the OKC Thunder are slated to head into the festivities with a top-seeded position, meaning home-court advantage very likely will be on their side through either a portion or the entirety of their hopeful title run.
Of course, even with this type of luxury, there's still plenty of ways for this surging team to come across hardships and noteworthy challenges along the way, as there are plenty of opposing players who have and can continue to wreak havoc on Mark Daigneault's squad.
Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Anthony Davis are the names usually mentioned when conversing about stars that pose serious issues for Oklahoma City, however, under the bright lights of the playoffs, role players can often swing a series.
With that sentiment in mind, moving forward there are a few key under-the-radar players that could pose a serious threat to the Thunder during this year's postseason.
Keegan Murray
In six career matchups against the Thunder, Keegan Murray has averaged 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 39.0 percent from deep.
He broke the record last season for most made threes by a rookie, which is concerning because Oklahoma City gives up the third-largest catch-and-shoot three-point frequency in the entire league this year.
With De’Aaron Fox penetrating the paint for drive-and-kicks and Domantas Sabonis’ rebounding and passing, Sacramento possesses tangible methods to generate open looks for Murray. It wouldn’t be shocking if the sophomore stole playoff games from the Thunder through a barrage of three-pointers.
Murray Motion in the O 👑
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 23, 2024
Keegan is up to 5 PTS in the first few minutes of play! pic.twitter.com/s7LLBGtnur
Defensively, he has morphed into an elite isolation defender with the size and mobility to switch across numerous positions. He would get the Jalen Williams assignment and, unfortunately, thrive in the role.
The Thunder need to be firing on all cylinders due to Sacramento’s fast-paced offense, and, with this, Murray could throw a wrench in their production.
Finally, he’s also a decent rebounder who can snag contested boards, especially on the offensive glass. Oklahoma City continues to struggle with aggressive interior play and on the defensive glass, so Murray fighting for extra possessions would be a massive X-factor in a potential series.
Overall, an extremely efficient 3-and-D wing that rebounds well is exactly the archetype that bothers this current Thunder roster, which suggests Murray could feast if the Kings wound up facing the likes likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company.