Why OKC are one forward away from making the playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder sent Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to the Houston Rockets in exchange for two future second-round NBA Draft picks, one via the Minnesota Timberwolves for 2027 and the other via the Milwaukee Bucks for 2028, as well as Kevin Porter Jr., whom the Thunder will immediately waive, according to ESPN.

The trade confirmed the previous reports that Oladipo has never been part of OKC’s team-building. Neither do they need Porter Jr. because the team already has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and Josh Giddey as their back-court pair. Meanwhile, acquiring another two second rounders is in conformity with their long-time policy.

It has been three seasons since the Thunder missed the playoffs. They were 40-42 in the 2023-024 regular season, in 10th place in the Western Conference, and lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament game.

Despite the team’s disappointing performance, OKC should be happy to see the quick 1.6 steals and one block while going the free throw line 10.9 times per game. Not only was he named an All-Star, SGA was also selected into the All-NBA First Team. Though SGA posed very little threat outside the 3-point line, he is already one of the league’s top-five scorers and makes the perfect choice for the team’s cornerstone ace.

As SGA’s back-court partner, Giddey got 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game for the Thunder last season. He was often left open from downtown, but Giddey is very good at exploiting his 2.03-meter height, which is oversized in the point guard position, in charging the rim and attacking mismatch. His court vision and passing skills make him more than a playmaker for fast breaks.

Having rested for one season, Chet Holmgren showed OKC that they made the right decision of selecting him with the second-overall pick in 2022. He can make 3-pointers consistently to stretch the floor and has rich methods to finish offense in the paint. Though he is still thin, Holmgren has shown the ability of punishing small defenders by exploiting his height. Moreover, his 2.29-meter-long wingspan and remarkable agility give him the potential to become an elite blocker.

Jalen Williams averaged 14.1 points and 3.3 assists per game in his rookie season. Instead of competing with SGA or Giddey to be OKC’s first scorer or orchestrator, Jalen Williams worked more on the weak side. He made one triple per game at 35.6 percent and had a certain ability of dealing with the ball rather than simply catching and shooting. He could also shoulder a bigger defensive duty than SGA and Giddey.

The arrival of Holmgren should improve the Thunder’s roster and enrich their options on both ends of the game. It won’t be a surprise if they make the playoffs in the 2023-24 season, but probably via the play-in tournament. The team is still one key piece away from becoming a regular postseason competitor: They need a big-size forward with enough weight, power and quickness to guard both perimeter players and big-men monsters. Considering the team’s poor spacing, this forward also needs to be a 3-point shooter.

The perfect choice for OKC will be OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors, but no one knows what game Masai Ujiri has been playing. Dorian Finney-Smith is a more realistic option, but the Brooklyn Nets don’t have a clear list of who they want to keep and get rid of from their roster.

Digging from within is unlikely to work for the Thunder because the players they have left are either tall, slender men or have short, stocky bodies. Both Luguentz Dort and Kenrich Williams are good defenders but are too short to swing up to the power forward position. As for Ousmane Dieng or Aleksej Pokusevski, whatever expectations the team had when they were drafted, they should think again.

OKC have no reason to be anxious at the moment because, for starters, the core combination of SGA, Giddey, Holmgren and Jalen Williams is still young. Furthermore, the team has 16 first-round picks and 21 second rounders until 2030. They can afford to draft wrong in years to come or pack some of them with players to trade when there are players they need available on the market.