With the Oklahoma City Thunder preseason beginning today at 7 PM CT against the San Antonio Spurs, we take a look at five things to keep an eye on when watching the Thunder over the next couple of weeks. The games may not count and the starters won’t see a whole lot of time but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few storylines that will excite OKC fans.
Here are five storylines to keep an eye on throughout the Thunder’s preseason run.
What to Watch for in the Preseason for the Thunder
Potential Starting Lineups
The biggest talking point heading into the preseason since acquiring Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein: Who will start, and what are the lineup possibilities for OKC this season? Hartenstein? Caruso? Hartenstein and Caruso? Neither?
In the wake of the preseason, here are the most probable starting lineups during the preseason:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
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- The (potential) death lineup. Coming off of a top-five offense and defense, swapping Caruso for Josh Giddey feels like an obvious lineup choice.
- Despite what many may say about Holmgren’s frame, he is most valuable at the center spot. Due to his offensive versatility and rim protection which makes him a matchup nightmare against opposing bigs
- Playing alongside four versatile ball handlers only furthers the nightmares for opposing teams.
- Mark Daigneault is unpredictable. Even if this is the likely starting lineup, it surely won’t be the only.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Jalen Williams, Holmgren, Hartenstein
- Given the Thunder’s love for data, a healthy dose of Hartenstein and Holmgren seems like a given. OKC went with double-big lineups with Jaylin Williams during their playoff run. Hartenstein, a good screener, defender, and passer, is expected to make those lineups more manageable.
- On another note, Holmgren gets to move away from the ball without being relied on as the only pick-and-roll screener and can play off of another legitimate center.
- On the defensive side, Holmgren won’t be the only rim protector and can play the roamer role which makes him more effective.
- Things will need to get ironed out, there will be questions. Based on matchups and data gathering, this lineup should start its fair share of games.
Isaiah Hartenstein 3-Point Shot
Last season, the Thunder had one of the best offenses in the league — as the Thunder were third in offensive rating. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are two of the best drivers in the league, which commands defenses to collapse the paint to limit rim attempts. This led to OKC getting a lot of quality catch-and-shoot looks from deep. Which led to the Thunder having the best three-point percentage in the league. Albeit, the Thunder were 16th in three-point attempts.
Hartenstein is adapting to his new environment, teammates, and offensive system, which includes Thunder coach Daigneault encouraging him to shoot threes.
This is one of those cases that must happen first to believe it. Hartenstein will need to be a consistent three-point shooter to gain some respect from the league. How much time and resources OKC is willing to spend on his three-point shot remains to be seen. If Hartenstein can average close to one three-pointer a game, it’ll be another element the Thunder can utilize that further expands their offensive versatility. And the preseason will be the first opportunity to see how valid his three-point shot is.
OKC’s Depth
Heading into the season — OKC arguably has the deepest roster in the league. Getting this version of the Thunder to mesh together during the preseason will be the first step — in hopes of a successful season. There will be no shortage of opportunities to see how Hartenstein and Caruso get acclimated with the Thunder.
With Giddey now in Chicago, Jalen Williams and Holmgren are expecting to see a jump — in touches and usage. Along with the progression of Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins with another season under their belts in the Thunder’s system. With Kenrich Williams out for the preseason with a knee injury, there will be no shortage of opportunities for Ousmane Dieng and fellow rookie Dillion Jones battle for a more potential rotation spot — as these players have much to prove. Where does Jaylin Williams fall into all of this after the addition of Hartenstein? Can Ajay Mitchell sneak his way into some minutes? The Thunder have the luxury to explore and experiment with numerous amount of lineups during the preseason.
OKC’s Defensive Personnel
This seems to be the most exciting area regarding the Thunder going into preseason play. The Thunder were fourth in defense rating a season ago and made improvements in that area in the offseason — acquiring Caruso and Hartenstein.
The Thunder has arguably the best defensive guard trios in the league in Caruso, Dort, and Wallace. Then you add Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander as off-ball defensive playmakers.
Now, the Thunder pair Hartenstein with Holmgren as his front-court partner as defensive anchors. This defensive personnel has the chance to be a nightmare for the league. Don’t be surprised if the Thunder are the top defense this season. Albeit, the Thunder starters won’t play a ton of preseason, this will be the first opportunity to see this defense in action.
Rebounding
Preseason competition probably won’t be the best way to judge the Thunder’s improvement (or possible lack thereof) in this case but OKC fans should hope to see a better all-around team effort on the glass this season. The addition of Hartenstein should provide an added boost coupled with the likely progression from Holmgren would be huge and seems probable.
OKC struggled on the glass last season —ranked 27th in rebounding, which has been a consistent issue over the last couple of seasons, and showing improvement early on would be a nice sign. With rebounding, preseason is as good a place to start, and creating good habits in preseason will be pivotal for their championship aspirations.
Main Image: DOUG HOKE/THEOKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
