The Oklahoma City Thunder are far ahead of schedule.
Everybody expected them to tank and be bottom-feeders, especially with Chet Holmgren missing his entire rookie season.
Some even expected them to try and part ways with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at some point, and he responded by being one of the best two-way players in the league and almost leading his team to a playoff berth.
That’s why Shannon Sharpe claims he has a newfound respect for them, praising Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey for combining for over 60 points to knock down the New Orleans Pelicans.
.@ShannonSharpe has a "newfound respect" for OKC after they eliminated the Pelicans with 63 points from SGA and Josh Giddey: pic.twitter.com/478Sh6kTMB
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) April 13, 2023
Sharpe praised the team for playing as a unit and how Gilgeous-Alexander’s leadership made the rest of the players fall in line.
Sam Presti has done an outstanding job of stacking talent and draft assets, and coach Mike Daigenault should get some serious consideration for Coach of the Year.
This team has exceeded all expectations, and they even managed to stay afloat when SGA was out with an injury.
They’re only going to get better once Holmgren is ready to contribute, as he’ll give them another ball-handler, floor-spacer, finisher, and an elite rim protector and shot-blocker.
More than that, they also have two first-round picks in this upcoming NBA Draft, which they could either look to flip for a proven player, or use to keep adding more young talent to their roster.
Even if they fail to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, we can’t help but take our hat off to this young, up-and-coming team and what they’ve done already.
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