The Oklahoma City Thunder qualified for the 2022-23 NBA Play-In tournament and it was the closest they've come to post-season basketball since the NBA bubble season where Chris Paul led them to a first-round playoff series in which they pushed James Harden and the Houston Rockets to seven games.
Paul was traded in the summer of 2020, and the Thunder began a full rebuild around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They stockpiled draft picks, young players, and more as they spent the next three seasons preparing themselves to pivot back to being competitive when their collective talent seemed ready. That time seems to be now.
They may have come up short in last season's Play-In tournament, losing by 25 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but that is clearly just the tip of the iceberg for this squad. Gilgeous-Alexander is only 25 years old and coming off an All-NBA First-Team selection. Josh Giddey will turn 21 and is entering his third season in the league. Chet Holmgren is 21 and will make his debut. Aleksej Pokusevski, Jaylin Williams, and Cason Wallace are all under the age of 23 and will likely play key roles as well.
For all the options they have right now, the options could increase or drastically change during the season. With all the draft picks and talented players in their treasure chest, the Thunder are expertly positioned to cash in on the league's next disgruntled star — not counting Damian Lillard and James Harden. They could easily make a move for Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns if either star big man requests a trade this season.
This Thunder core is finding its stride in the NBA, and with all the talent they have at their disposal head coach Mark Daigneault could very well experiment with multiple starting lineups next season. Here are three we should expect to see.
Standard Thunder starting lineup: Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren, and Jaylin Williams
This will likely be the Oklahoma City Thunder's most often-used starting lineup and should be expected for most games. Giddey, Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, and Williams were mainstays for the Thunder last season. The four of them played together in the eight most-frequently used lineups by head coach Mark Daigneault.
With Holmgren returning from injury, expect him to slot into the fifth spot of this lineup. Holmgren will bring a lot to the table and with his talent, will likely help take this team to another level. He'll be able to create his own offense, work screen-and-roll and screen-and-pop with Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey, and can space the floor as a spot-up option. On defense, he and Williams will bring plenty of length and athleticism to protect the rim, driving lanes, and passing lanes. The two of them as anchors will allow the Thunder great flexibility with their defensive schemes.
This will be the Thunder's go-to lineup. It features what is likely their core trio for the future: Giddey, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Holmgren. They will take the bulk of offensive responsibility but be well supported by Dort and Williams as play-finishers. This group will be equally adept defensively, with Dort and Williams taking on more of the heavy lifting at that end of the floor but the likes of Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey, and Holmgren will provide plenty of value there too. This is an excellent two-way lineup and we will see it often next season.
The Cason Wallace Thunder starting lineup: Josh Giddey, Cason Wallace, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jaylin Williams
If someone is going to make way from last season's core four, it will likely be Luguentz Dort. A decent defender and spot-up shooter, Dort is a good player but limited. The Thunder could decide they want more threats on-ball to begin games and also want to start getting 2023 first-round pick Cason Wallace reps with their core group as early as possible. This would put Wallace in the starting lineup for Dort.
With Gilgeous-Alexander's and Giddey's size as guards, they offer the Thunder the opportunity to easily play three-guard lineups because they can both defend wings on the other end. Wallace, similar to Dort, is a solid defender and floor spacer. He drew comparisons to Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday pre-draft, and that skillset would fit perfectly alongside the Thunder's core. He can play off-ball and focus more on the defensive end and spacing while still providing more juice on the ball than Dort does.
Wallace can take on the toughest perimeter defensive assignments, do the dirty work, and also be available to give Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey breaks from having to consistently create the offense. He fits perfectly with this team, and that's why the Thunder traded for him on draft night.
All-Offense Thunder starting lineup: Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Vasilije Micic, Chet Holmgren, and Jaylin Williams
The Oklahoma City Thunder's new core four remains in all these potential starting lineups, but in this one, the fifth spot is taken by Vasilije Micic, an under-discussed addition Sam Presti made this off-season. Micic will be a 29-year-old rookie, and he's arguably been the best player in the world not in the NBA for the past three seasons. He's a two-time Euroleague champion and won the 2020-21 Euroleague MVP award. He's coming off a summer full of rest after skipping the 2023 FIBA World Cup with Serbia.
Micic is a 6-foot-6 guard who thrives in pick-and-roll and spot-up scenarios while being a solid isolation player. He was in the 97th percentile of pick-and-roll ballhandlers last season on 454 total possessions and was in the 83rd percentile as a spot-up shooter last season shooting 40.6 percent on 138 spot-up threes per Synergy.
Micic and this lineup would give the Thunder an elite group of talented on-ball creators and off-ball scorers. Giddey, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Micic could all swap running pick-and-roll with either Williams and plenty of spacing or Holmgren with Williams moving to the dunker spot. Holmgren can also work with the three guards on pick-and-pop. The combinations are endless, and paired with high-level floor spacing this lineup could be unstoppable on offense.
