Sam Presti set out with a plan after Damian Lillard sank a 37-footer at the buzzer to send the Oklahoma City Thunder home back in 2019. That plan has come together faster than anyone expected and has been nearly picture-perfect. During the fastest rebuild we have seen - some intricate details might have been missed externally that were pivotal to the internal growth of this team. Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and coach Mark Daigneault have been together since the beginning in Bricktown. When Gilgeous-Alexander landed from LaLa Land, Daigneault was on Billy Donovan's staff as an ass ..read more

Eight years removed from his departure, the rumors surrounding Kevin Durant and a potential return to the Oklahoma City Thunder are swirling more than ever. Over the past few years, Durant has been at the center of failed experiments. The Brooklyn Nets signed him and Kyrie Irving in 2019 before eventually trading their future and depth to acquire James Harden. Nothing materialized from the trio. Then, the Phoenix Suns made a move to acquire Durant via trade from the Nets, which both gutted their depth on the roster and future trade assets. When they failed to win a championship, they only had ..read more

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault isn't that old ... right? His 39 years of age may seem far and away from the Oklahoma City Thunder's average age of 23.4 years old, but Daigneault is actually one of the NBA's youngest coaches — making for a perfect match between both sides. Per Thunder practice Thursday, Daigneault is hip to the ongoing rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, he uses Twitter to consume news and receive tweets from an unnamed player and shares similar humor with his roster. Many of the older coaches couldn't do that, but his relatively younger age helps increase the connec ..read more

On Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to the practice court to sharpen their skills and knock off some rust following their first-round series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder will see a seven day layoff before Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, a similar delay before their regular season finale and postseason opener against the Pelicans a week ago. At practice on Thursday, the media was allowed to talk with Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams and Mark Daigneault following their on-court work. Williams jogged over to his scrum with a pep in his step at his final sp ..read more

As the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off their second sweep in franchise history, the Bricktown boys will have over a week off before the start of their next series. This will be a similar layoff to the team's wait from Game 82 to Game 1 of their First Round series with New Orleans. OKC will open up the second round in the Paycom Center on Tuesday, May 7 at 8:30 CT on TNT. Their matchup is to be determined at the Dallas Mavericks-L.A. Clippers series is still in progress. This series will feature a game every other day for the first four contests. Two of the four games will be featured on TNT w ..read more

The Oklahoma City Thunder have used their deep roster all season, and that has not changed in the playoffs. The Thunder’s playoff rotation has continued to look similar to its first 82 games. Although stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are playing more minutes, the Thunder have not necessarily shortened their rotation. However, the Thunder’s actual shortening of the rotation might have happened in February. At the trade deadline, the Thunder shipped out Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans and Tre Mann for Gordon Hayward. Hayward has not found his perfect fit in Oklahoma City bu ..read more

They are too young, they lack size, it has never been done before, are we sure they can handle the bright lights? These are all things the outside observers have consistently placed on this Oklahoma City Thunder team throughout the season. From their 44.5 projected win total to the "worst first seed" moniker, the Thunder have proven the expectations surrounding them to be far too low. As everyone prepares for the other shoe to drop, it is time to admit that is not happening. Take a page from the Thunder's internal book of buying into their uncommon maturity. The Thunder have proven to be conte ..read more

Oklahoma City’s weakness was identified in the regular season and harped on all season long. Outside of Chet Holmgren, the team lacks a traditional big man and Jalen Williams has played up a spot at the four throughout the year. It has obviously worked to perfection as the Thunder secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference — and now completed a first-round sweep — but the method still has skeptics. At the trade deadline, fans clamored for a backup center or depth in the front court. Oklahoma City dug its feet in and committed to the system and philosophy of Mark Daigneault. The only dead ..read more

Jaylin Williams' sophomore season in the league had some cuts made following his rookie campaign and a healthy Chet Holmgren bursting onto the scene, but that hadn't made his season less impactful. With his minutes being trimmed by about a third in the regular season, he was still productive in his role, and that's led to a heightened confidence from head coach Mark Daigneault into the postseason. Fending off Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. in the his first playoff series of his career, he'd find valuable playing time against the Pelicans as Daigneault played his hand in his 10- and 11-m ..read more

It takes a special player for 27 points, six rebounds, five assists and a steal per game on 47 percent shooting from the floor to be considered a lackluster series but that is the case for OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the New Orleans Pelicans in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, their Most Valuable Player only broke loose for one typical star status game. In Game 2, the Thunder saw Gilgeous-Alexander post 33 points on 68 percent shooting en route to a blowout win. Aside from that contest, the 25-year-old has not had his typical scoring punch. Thi ..read more