The Oklahoma City Thunder took tanking to the next level in the last few NBA seasons. General manager Sam Presti hit the reset button during the 2020 offseason, tearing the roster down to the bare bones.
For stretches, Oklahoma City had a roster that would make an expansion team look like a contending roster. They had no qualms about deploying players with virtually zero NBA experience who haven’t sniffed the court since.
The goal for the team was to lose as many games as possible, improving their odds to land near the top of the NBA Lottery. It certainly worked to some extent as the Thunder now have a roster loaded with high-upside young talent.
One of those high-upside youngsters is Chet Holmgren. The No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft missed his entire rookie season because of a Lisfranc injured suffered in the summer. Despite not having him in the lineup the Thunder found a surprising amount of success, going 40-42.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Chet Holmgren & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
During a recent appearance on All The Smoke Podcast on Showtime Basketball, Holmgren was asked about which of his teammates will break out next season. There are certainly a lot of options to choose from, but Holmgren opted to go for the diplomatic approach. He didn’t name a single player, instead saying it will be a different player on every given night.
“We just got so much talent on our team. It’s gonna be like a new guy every single game… We got dudes,” Holmgren said.
Holmgren certainly isn’t wrong with his comment. The Thunder are loaded with young talent and every night one of them is capable of going off for a big game. While a lot of eyes will be on him during his first season playing in the NBA, he is far from the only intriguing young player on the roster.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Chet Holmgren & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
Jalen Williams looks to have been a steal at No. 12 in the 2022 NBA Draft, as he provided the same kind of impact the team would have hoped to receive from Holmgren. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an established star and Josh Giddey isn’t too far from becoming one himself.
A lot of people around the NBA are going to be keeping an eye on Oklahoma City because they are going to have to release some very good players. They have done a great job of compiling talent and a consolidation of the roster will be needed in the coming weeks.
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