Discuss the rematch|The two-win defending champion Nuggets sit second in the West, and the "Thunder Three Less" is about to hit the storm again?

A strong opponent can often be a yardstick to measure your growth and progress, such as the defending champion Nuggets.

A young team also needs to chase the target and correct the gains and omissions in the process of growing up.

Today's Thunder and Nuggets have such a relationship.

So far this season, the Thunder and Nuggets have played three big games.

From a 95-128 defeat in the first home game in November, to a narrow win on the road with Alexander's stunner ten days ago, to a 119-93 win on the road today.

It is no longer possible to ignore the importance of this team in the West, although people have long accepted the fact that this Western Youth Army will rise sooner or later.

But it's all too fast.

It's so fast that it even surpasses their predecessors.

In '07, the Thunder, who was still called the Seattle SuperSonics, selected Durant, and then won Willis and Harden in the next two years, and selected three future MVPs for three consecutive years. But they didn't make the playoffs until 2010, when they were killed in the first round by the Lakers, who later won the championship.

In 2020, the Thunder completely rebuilt with Alexander as the core after sending Paul away, taking Josh Giddey in 2021 and Holmgren and Jalen Williams last year.

Unlike the old Thunder, who finally reached the Finals one by one a year, this new Thunder team also went through a detour after Wei Shao left the team in 2019, but after winning two high-quality rookies Holmgren and Jalen Williams in a row in the 2022-23 season,

Almost immediately became an army?

Holmgren is the American people's own "Wembanyama".

He became famous earlier than Wenban, and became popular on the Internet in high school because he beat elementary school students in a training camp organized by Curry. He has been playing hard for a year at Gunzaga University, and as a new era No. 5 position, although he has comprehensive skills, he is an authentic No. 5 position, which is the biggest difference between him and Wembanyama.

A year after his injury, his performance seemed to make people forget that he was also a rookie. This season, he averaged 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.7 blocks per game, and also threw 1.6 three-pointers per game with an exaggerated shooting rate of 39.2%.

What's more, he only takes 12.1 shots per game, of which 3/4 are dribbling within one step, and 2/3 of the shots are completed within 2 seconds of receiving the ball, and do not possess the ball.

He shot 68.6 percent (118/172) from the field and 39.2 percent (49/125) from three-point range.

While averaging 2.7 blocks per game, the basket can reduce the opponent's shooting percentage by 10.7 percentage points.

What's even more terrifying is that he spends 60% of his time in the official opposition to the opposite striker and defender.

He does a great job of three-point shooting, efficient finishing, basket protection, and switching defenses from the perimeter.

He may be another "small-ball era" center-forward version of the answer after Bushy Eyebrows and Brother Alphabet.

His Xi and ability to progress are equally impressive.

For the first time in his career this season, he faced Jokic's 28 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists with 19 points and 4 boards.

But in today's game, he played tricks on Mr. Yoo with Alexander after the opening, first three points after two consecutive blocks, and then an inside dunk. It makes the Nuggets, which are already missing Gordon, even more stretched.

He finished the game with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4-of-4 three-pointers, and for the first time in his career, he beat Mr. Yoo (19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists) in statistics.

If Holmgren's standout is highly anticipated, then Jalen Williams' standout is a surprise.

At the age of 22, he is 1.96 meters tall, and he has reached an exaggerated 2.19 meters, and you must know that Leonard, who is also a long-armed monster and is five centimeters taller than him, is only 2.20 meters.

Of course, Jay's prominence isn't just static talent. In fact, before entering the NBA, he was more looked down upon. He played for Santa Clara University, and the last person to play in the NBA here was two-time MVP and Canadian Steve Nash.

The joint tryout before the 2022 draft saved him and eventually impressed the Thunder to take him with the 12th pick.

He entered the Thunder starter in his rookie season, playing in 75 games, scoring 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.3 minutes and being selected as a rookie team.

His stature and long arms are reminiscent of Leonard during his time with the Spurs, but compared to Leonard's youth when he first entered the league, Jalen may have grown more rapidly with the Thunder.

Not only is he a starter, but he's also the Thunder's ball-handling core when Alexander is off the court and in the rotation, and his ball-dominance, athleticism, and even his polished mid-range (47-of-88 shooting 53.4 percent this season) have made him the team's de facto second leader.

Of course, the boss of the team has to be Alexander.

Last season's average of 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game was already at the level of the league, and being recognized by the selection team in the case of a loss in the play-offs shows that he is indeed extraordinary.

While still scoring 31.4 points this season, 5.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists are still a slight improvement.

He is now the league's breakthrough leader, No. 1 in turnover-scoring, No. 3 in scoring, No. 4 in interior scoring, the only outside attacker in the top 10, and second only to Embiid and Doncic in the league.

Unlike other young and vigorous new generations, Alexander's most valuable qualities are calmness, restraint, and diligence.

Although he is only 25 years old, he should be the age when he is young to brush data, but he plays very measuredly.

In this season's Thunder games, most of his teammates attacked first to find the feeling after the opening, and waited for the people around him to try a lap

"The brothers are done, right? ”

But when it comes to the transition when the start is needed, or when the race grinds to a critical moment, he will take over at the right time.

In today's game against the Nuggets, he put Jalen in charge and Holmgren in charge. It wasn't until five minutes of the game that he scored his first foul, but after the first quarter, he still scored 12 points at the end of the game.

In the second half, the Nuggets once chased 56-58, and the others couldn't pry the opponent away, so he came to take over. 17 points in a single quarter led the team to a small climax of 30-10 in the third quarter, and the coffin was directly closed

He came to the Thunder in 19 because of George's big trade, and debuted as the team's boss after a year of studying under Paul.

Played 29 games this season averaging 31.4 points, with the highest game being just 40 points, but only three games under 25 points, which is terrifyingly consistent.

In scoring this season, his 54.8 percent shooting percentage is even higher than Embiid's, second only to Antetokounmpo (60.8 percent). Of all non-interior players, only LeBron (53.9%) is probably the best player.

In addition, Alexander is likely to be the hardest working young star in the NBA today.

With the flood of social media, it is now difficult to see young stars training with peace of mind in the offseason, and there have even been scandalous dramas such as Morant's live show gun.

But if you follow Alexander, the most popular news on his social media is about his training. Since 2021, as the team leader, he has organized a separate training camp every offseason, convening Thunder teammates for a training camp, which is led by well-known NBA trainer Olin Simpis and his team.

Unlike many teams who only organize a sorority party before training camp begins, according to his Thunder and Canadian teammate Dort:

"There's no partying, no alcohol, no beautiful women, it's absolutely hell. ”

Be ruthless to your teammates and even more ruthless to yourself, and this year's regular season ends on April 10. The Thunder's No. 15, who lost to the Timberwolves in the play-in game, went on vacation, while Alexander began individual training on April 29.

"Every summer I work very hard to temper my body. My athleticism has improved every year, and now I can get off the ground more easily. ”

If you are a fan of the Thunder, you will definitely look at them now and think of the same young and talented youth army ten years ago.

If you are their opponent, you will definitely pat your forehead and sigh bitterly:

"How come they always get such a good young man?"

It is very likely that the fear that the alliance has been trampled on by the "Thunder Three Less" will come a second time.

And, of course, there's a horror story:

Over the next seven years, Oklahoma has 15 first-round picks and 22 second-round picks, large and small, inside and out.