Ever since they traded Paul George and Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder gave up on every single chance to win.
GM Sam Presti decided to gather as many draft picks as he could, lose as often as possible, and try and rebuild through the draft and around budding star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
More often than not, the Thunder would sit out their stars with questionable injuries, even shutting them down for the year with two months still left in the regular season.
That may not be the best way to build a team from an ethical standpoint, but it’s worked quite well for the young Thunder, who have finally put that strategy way behind them and are trying to compete for real.
According to NBA insider Nick Crain, the Thunder now have the 11th-best rating (+1.17) in the Association, and they seem like a team that could go toe-to-toe with anybody on any given night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are half a game out of the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with the NBA’s 11 best net rating (+1.17) on the season.
We’ve seen enough of a sample size. This young team is legit.
— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) January 19, 2023
Gilgeous-Alexander is playing like a top-10 player in the league right now, excelling on defense and averaging north of 30 points per game.
Josh Giddey has surely shut down the haters, being a perennial triple-double threat and one of the best pure playmakers in the league despite his ripe age.
Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams have also exceeded all expectations this season, and this team has yet to add second-overall pick Chet Holmgren, who’ll miss his rookie year with a foot injury.
Moreover, the Thunder still have a plethora of draft capital to either trade for an All-Star or land another elite prospect.
So, you better not sleep on this team.
They’re ready.
NEXT: The Thunder Have Been On A Roll Lately