What are the biggest questions that the Oklahoma City Thunder have to answer during the 2024-25 season? The Thunder are projected to be one of the best teams in the NBA this season, however; they have some questions that are in need of answers.
Is there a player poised to have a breakout season with OKC? Will Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams emerge as legitimate championship level — No. 2 options? Which players will end up starting for the Thunder at the beginning and end of the 2024-25 season? And overall, what will be defined as a success for the organization when things settle itself on the season?
Questions to Answer in 2024-25 for the Thunder
Living Up to Expectations
The expectations for the Thunder are the highest they’ve been in several years.
The Thunder are fresh off of finishing as the top seed in the West and making a second-round appearance. Although it was a disappointing end to the season, the Thunder hadn’t been on the playoff stage since 2020. The Thunder are now in a position to compete for the championship.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, anything short of a Western Conference Finals appearance would likely be a disappointment for OKC. Now with additional pressure and higher expectations, how will the Thunder handle those expectations and will they live up to them?
With the Thunder being very young, it’s arguably the Thunder’s biggest question: whether the Thunder can and will live up to increased expectations. To a productive offseason, in which, the Thunder managed to improve an already talented roster with the acquisitions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Overcoming the high expectations and making a deeper run in the playoffs will certainly be a challenge. With the rest of the league continuing to improve, the Thunder will have their work cut out for them. This is the first time that this iteration of the Thunder is in this position, so let’s see how they’ll respond.
OKC certainly has the talent to get there, but it’ll be a real test to see how their last season carries over this upcoming season. The Thunder should be better, but winning 57 games and getting the No. 1 seed isn’t an easy feat nor a common occurrence in the NBA.
However; that’s the expectation now since the Thunder has built a championship-contending team.
Will Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams Emerge as Championship-Level Options?
The Thunder need a true championship-level No. 2 option. The big three consist of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams.
Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a superstar and has finished top five in MVP voting in the past two seasons, finishing as the runner-up a season ago. This past playoffs, SGA showed he can be a No. 1 on a contending team. He’s clearly the No. 1 option and leader in OKC.
The big question for the Thunder this season: Will Holmgren and Williams make a leap and have breakout seasons? And emerge as All-Star level players and true No. 2 options? Whoever takes that next step and becomes a consistent player the Thunder can rely on when SGA is not on the court or struggling in a game.
While last season, Williams was the Thunder’s No. 2 option, Holmgren was incredible and had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory. If the Thunder wants to achieve their championship aspirations, it’ll come down to the development and readiness of Holmgren and Williams.
Potential Starting Lineup
This will be a situation that will be monitored all season long, as OKC has one of the deepest rosters in the league. After the additions of Hartenstein and Caruso in the offseason, there is a legitimate question as to what the starting lineup will look like. What’s so interesting about this? The starting lineup can go multiple ways and it will certainly vary.
Adding one of the best 3-and-D players in the league and a big who fills OKC’s biggest holes, gives OKC a lot of versatility.
After trading Josh Giddey this offseason, there is a spot to fill in the starting lineup as he was a starter for OKC. The starting lineup could vary depending on the matchup, but one of Hartenstein, Caruso, or another player could become the permanent starter, and that answer could potentially come early in the season.
Throughout the season, the Thunder will be able to explore different lineups in —matchups against teams in Boston, Denver, Dallas, Minnesota, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia, New York, and Milwaukee will provide pivotal data for the Thunder on which starting lineups will give them the most success. It’ll be an interesting situation to follow throughout the season.
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
