4 Young players Thunder should develop, 1 to give up on
By Tyler Watts
The Oklahoma City Thunder are already one of the best teams in the NBA with just one player over 30 years old on their roster. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an unquestioned MVP candidate and the front office has put an exciting young core around him. OKC had the best regular season record in the West last season and plans on being in contention for years to come.
Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are future stars. Both have two years remaining on their rookie contracts but have already broken out. Sam Presti and the Thunder’s brass have avoided adding another top-end talent because they believe in the three on their roster.
OKC is one of the NBA’s best teams, but they are loaded with young talent. Holmgren and Williams are two of seven players under 25 years old. The Thunder need some of these youngsters to step up to challenge for a championship. Here is a look at which players the franchise should prioritize developing.
Develop: Nikola Topic
The Thunder selected Topic, despite knowing the teenager would likely miss his entire rookie season recovering from an ACL injury. The 19-year-old is arguably the best passer and playmaker in this draft class. Many had him going in the top five before multiple knee injuries derailed his season. Oklahoma City may have gotten an absolute steal at 12th overall.
The Thunder want SGA, Holmgren, and Williams handling the ball and taking the majority of the shots. It is why they traded Josh Giddey, but Topic could be a tablesetter for their stars. The 6’6 guard can run the offense and get everyone better looks.
The franchise must give him ample time to recover and develop him slowly. They have star talent on their roster. Head coach Mark Daigneault and his staff must put Topic in positions to succeed and find ways to maximize his skill set.
This one won’t be easy, but the Thunder took him in the lottery for several reasons. They should certainly develop him and see what Nikola Topic becomes.