On January 16, Beijing time, with Josh Giddy's free throw, the Thunder led the Nets by 12 points on the road in the last minute, and the game almost lost suspense. With a win over the Nets, second in the East, the Thunder have won three of their four-game road trips, six of their last eight games, and have defeated the Greens, 76ers and Mavericks.
The youth force seems to be quietly leading the Thunder back to the playoff team. The Thunder are currently 11th in the West with a 21-23 record, but are just 0.5 wins away from the eighth-placed Jazz and 1.5 wins away from the sixth-place Clippers.
Looking back on the years of the Thunder, the team tried hard to make changes, but the ending was full of regrets.
In the 09-10 season, the fledgling Thunder three young people assembled, and lost 2-4 in the first round against the Lakers led by Kobe;
In the 10-11 Western Conference Finals, facing Nowitzki, who blocked the God and Buddha, the Thunder lost 1-4 to the Mavericks;
In the 11-12 season, the Thunder made it all the way to the Finals, facing the powerful and mature Big Three of the Heat, losing the series 1-4, which was also the closest the Thunder came to a championship.
The three young people leaned together lonely, thinking about a better future;
Subsequently, Harden was traded to the Rockets, and the three were broken up. Facing the Rockets in the first round of the 12-13 season, Wei Shao suffered a knee injury in the season reimbursement, faced the Grizzlies Durant alone in the second round, and lost the series 1-4;
13-14 Western Conference finals lost 2-4 to Spurs;
Missed the playoffs by Anthony Davis in the final round of the 14-15 regular season;
In the 15-16 season, the Western Conference finals led 3-1 to win 73 against the Warriors, and then G6 Tangshen erupted to lead the team to an epic comeback and eventually eliminated the Thunder 4-3. That summer, Durant left to join the Warriors, and the Thunder completely withdrew from the championship race.
In the 16-17 season, Wei Shao averaged a triple-double to win the MVP, but lost to the Rockets 1-4 in the playoffs, stopping in the first round;
In the 17-18 season, the addition of Paul George and Cameron Anthony brought the Thunder back to the attention of the whole league. But in the end, the playoffs lost 2-4 to the Jazz led by Mitchell, and stopped the first round again;
In the 18-19 season, Wilson welcomed George, who performed at the MVP level, but once again, he lost 4-1 to the Blazers in the playoffs and was sent home by Lillard's three-point shootout.
The Thunder are like that, giving people unlimited reverie and anticipation at the beginning of the season, but always returning in the end.
Then, in that tumultuous summer, the Clippers traded Alexander, Gallinari, five first-round picks and two draft swaps for a smiling George; The Rockets traded Chris Paul, two first-round picks and two draft swaps as chips to give Wilson the Thunder to start a rebuild.
Fast forward to today, January 2023, after two seasons of silence, the Thunder's rebuild seems to have achieved initial results. The undrafted "Harden nemesis" Dort, who signed in 2019, is now firmly on the team; In 2020, he used the No. 25 pick plus the No. 28 pick to pack in exchange for the No. 17 pick of the Timberwolves and selected Pokushevsky; Skipping Kuminga in 2021, Josh Giddy was selected with the 6th pick and Tray Mann with the 18th pick; In 2022, the Thunder won the third top pick in team history after Gary Payton and Kevin Durant, Chet Holmgren...
This season, Alexander, who has grown into the heart of the team, is about to embark on his first All-Star trip. SGA has started the season and has averaged 30.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. But the scary thing is that the future star, who renewed his contract in 2021 with a five-year, 172 million top salary, is now only 24 years old. In this youth army, Alexander is growing into a leader that everyone can trust, and there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Alexander's three-point shooting percentage per game is low, and as a team boss with unlimited fire, he averages 2.8 three-pointers and 1.0 shots per game, shooting 34.8%. The vast majority of SGA's shots come from two points long within the paint zone and inside the three-point line. As a right-handed player, the fact that he can finish well with his left hand is a big part of why Alexander is so good. Perhaps his numbers will slip in the increasing number of opponents' pockets, but there's no denying that his league-leading breakdowns and 90.8 percent free throw percentage are enough to help the team win many victories. If more consistent three-point ability is developed in the future, then SGA will make every opponent more "stressed" on the court.
Josh Giddy's rise is signed, but it seems to have come sooner than expected. The Australian high guard has become the Thunder's new all-around warrior after Wilson. At only 20 years old, he has already achieved six triple-doubles and is gradually improving from a "super-weakened version of Simmons" to a "weakened version of Doncic". The height of 203cm will also allow Giddy to appear in the No. 3-5 position when the team needs it, giving the team more variety of lineup combinations. Against the Nets, against league-leading blocker Zhao Si, Giddy didn't lose the wind on the field, and the white sophomore show seemed to be much stronger than he looked. Will he form a new Thunder Three with Alexander and Chet?
"Chopstick Brothers" is Raymi's affectionate name for them. Chet Holmgren and Pokuszewski, the injury-ridden "thin dog" duo will be the Thunder's future interior pillars. This season is already the 21-year-old Poku's third season in the NBA. The 213cm Boku can shoot and control the ball, and his performance and influence on the court have made a qualitative leap, and he was once considered by Thunder fans to be the most important player besides SGA.
And how Chet will be when he returns next season, and whether he can cash in on his talent will be an important factor in whether the Thunder can become a playoff regular. Chet's recovery is well underway and, judging by the current news, he can already start shooting training. "OKC's enthusiasm has embraced me and I want to give back to them." Chet said after actively participating in charity activities to give back to the community during his injury. The future of "Chopstick Brothers" is undoubtedly worth looking forward to, but the most important thing now is to recuperate well and return to the arena as soon as possible.
Second-year Trey Mann is turning into a real "man." In the Thunder's victory over the 76ers, Trey Mann came off the bench to face Thunder front bench bandit James Harden, and Mann took a step past Harden to score in disguise. In the next round, Mann singled Harden in the same way, and the already 33-year-old Harden seemed to be a little unable to keep up with the speed of the 21-year-old Mann, and was shaken away and scored two points. The first-round No. 18 is gradually proving his worth, and with a few more offensive success rates and a cool down in key moments, Mann is definitely one of the Thunder's most trusted raiders.
There are still too many young people shining in Oklahoma. Jaylen Williams, a rookie who has a full level of ball intelligence, Dort, a "Harden nemesis" who has just renewed his contract, Isaiah Joe, who is a good shooter... The average age of the Thunder this season is just 23.14, making it the youngest team in the league. Because of the rookie bonus, the Thunder have a healthy salary space and countless draft picks in the coming years.
After losing to the Heat Big Three in the '12 Finals, coach Brooks said the classic words to his players: "Unfortunately, we still didn't get there, we still have a long way to go." But don't hang your heads, hold your heads high, and keep working as hard as you always to make yourselves stronger this summer. We want to fight together as family. Kids, one last thing, congratulations to your opponents on the champion after the game, they won in good faith, although it hurts. Kids, you've done a very, very good year, it's that I haven't worked hard enough, it's that I've not worked hard enough. ”
Thunder general manager Presti has said that when we make the playoffs again, we will be playoff regulars. Thunder, known as the NBA Whampoa Military Academy, when will it really cash in on its talent? Will the Thunder fans' phrases "Thunder up" and "Thunder championship" come true?
The Thunder are on track and they're getting better and better. Young is the best capital, and the future alliance must have a place for the Thunder lads.