Predicting the Thunder's perfect starting lineup after ideal offseason
By Will Eudy
The Oklahoma City Thunder just finished up one of the best and most satisfying seasons in recent franchise history. Competing in an absolutely loaded Western Conference, OKC emerged from the regular season tied with the defending champion Denver Nuggets and earned the top seed in the conference for the first time in 11 years.
Entering the playoffs as the top seed represented the pinnacle of the Thunder's journey since trading away Russell Westbrook back in 2019. What seemed like a long process was in reality a very quick rebuild wherein Oklahoma City went from losing 58 games just two seasons ago to winning 57 games in the season that just ended.
Now, it would seem the Thunder are here to stay once again with MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. Of course, there are still significant improvements OKC can make to take their next step and further cement themselves as a contender that is here to stay. In a perfect world, this would be the Thunder's starting lineup at the beginning of next season.
Center: Chet Holmgren
This is one position Oklahoma City should have zero interest in changing. Chet Holmgren was one of the best rookies in the association this past season, and would likely have been seen as the clear Rookie of the Year if not for a certain 7-foot-4 behemoth in San Antonio.
There are still deficiencies and things for Holmgren to work on, but by and large he is in an excellent place and is absolutely trending in the right direction. After missing what would have been his rookie season in 2022-23 due to injury, Chet got through the rehab process and put up a stellar first season this past year.
Showcasing his shooting prowess and excellent defensive fundamentals were a few of the biggest reasons the Thunder should be 100% committed to Chet as the team's starting center for the foreseeable future.