Oklahoma City Thunder Stats, Odds, Standings and Schedule for 2023-24 NBA Season

Oklahoma City Thunder Last Season Performance

The Oklahoma City Thunder surprised many people last season, theoretically climbing out of their rebuilding phase. At the start of the 2022-23 season, the Thunder’s win total in the NBA line was set at 23.5 games. The Thunder went on to win 40 games, finishing as the 10th seed.

In the Play-In Tournament, the Thunder would win their first game, beating the New Orleans Pelicans, getting a chance at the eighth seed. But Oklahoma City lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, missing out on the playoffs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played a massive part in the Thunder’s breakout season. He averaged 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game, becoming an All Star and All-NBA player for the first time. Gilgeous-Alexander had been a player to watch heading into the season, but his success officially changed the Thunder’s NBA odds for the future.

On top of that, it is clear that Oklahoma City is building one of the best young cores in the NBA. Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Luguentz Dort are the top players on the roster. They also played last season without the second overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Chet Holmgren, who was injured.

Based on last season, the Thunder’s NBA playoffs odds have become more realistic despite an uneventful offseason. However, the team has endless possibilities, with Holmgren added to the previous season’s roster and Oklahoma City’s draft assets.

Offseason Changes

Key Additions

After the success in 2022-23, some expected the Thunder to use some of their draft picks to trade for a star player. Instead, the trades that the Thunder did make were to take on bad contracts, acquiring Davis Bertans and an injured Victor Oladipo, adding more draft picks to the Thunder’s incredible number of assets.

Then, in free agency, Oklahoma City did not go after anyone that could be a franchise-changing veteran. Instead, the one free agent signing the Thunder made was for Jack White, who barely played on the Denver Nuggets last season.

The Thunder managed to persuade Vasilije Micic to try his hand in the NBA at 29 years old after being selected in the 2014 Draft. Micic had an impressive career in Europe and might be the veteran leader this team could be looking for.

In the draft, the Thunder were a little more active. With the 10th pick, they selected Cason Wallace, a great point-of-attack defender and solid shooter from three. In the second round, they selected Keyontae Johnson.

Key Losses

Having an extremely young team has helped the Thunder retain much of their talent. Oklahoma City allowed two players to leave in free agency this offseason, Jared Butler and Dario Saric. Neither player averaged over 14 minutes per game.

Coach: Mark Daigneault (40-42)

After two seasons with the Thunder winning less than 25 games under Daigneault, all the progress came to fruition in 2022-23. The team won 40 games, and Daigneault finished second in Coach of the Year voting.

Daigneault is a young head coach, only 38 years old, and will be going into his fourth season, but he has proven to be the future of the Thunder. This season will be a little different, with some exceptions, but so far, he has thrived.

Oklahoma City Thunder Strength: So Much Potential

The 2023-23 season for the Thunder turned lots of heads. Making it to the play-in and even winning a game, almost reaching the playoffs, is not something many expected. That success has changed how NBA betting views the team, thinking that in 2023-24, the Thunder could take an even more significant step toward becoming a playoff team.

It all starts with Gilgeous-Alexander repeating what he did last season. He played like one of the best players in the league last season, and if he can stay on that trajectory, the Thunder have found their new leader.

On top of that, the rest of the team is already built to support Gilgeous-Alexander, with Giddey and Williams’ ability to get to the paint and Dort’s shooting. Plus, the talent of Holmgren as a shot blocker, playmaker, and scorer will only evaluate the Thunder.

This team has so much talent, such as Ousmane Dieng, Jaylin Williams, Wallace, and Micic. All of that makes the possibility of the Thunder making the playoffs a little more realistic.

Oklahoma City Thunder Weakness: No Real Size

Now, some concerns about the Thunder roster could pause some of the excitement. For one, the team is still relatively young and lacks experience. Sure, the Thunder made the play-in last season, even winning a game, but it doesn’t change much.

The youthfulness of the team brings other issues, for example, size. Oklahoma City is a relatively small team and a light one. There is no option to defend against a team that has size. Holmgren could be the starting center, but his most significant question mark coming out of college was that he was too skinny.

To counteract that, the Thunder have a lot of really good guards, and they will want to play fast. The Thunder have a team that can achieve that, but eventually, opponents will force them into slow, grind-it-out games, which will be a challenge.

Oklahoma City Thunder Predictions

There seem to be real expectations for the Thunder heading into the 2023-24 season, which are well warranted after the success in 2022-23. Having Holmgren could be the piece of the puzzle that the Thunder needed last season, which should help them win a few more games.

However, the front office seems to treat this upcoming season like another step in the rebuild. They did not go after any free agents or use their future draft picks to add another star player. Playoffs are possible for this team based on talent alone, but the season’s objective still seems to be building towards the future.

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