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Four things to look back on OKC Thunder's breakthrough 2023-24 NBA season, playoff run
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- Four things to look back on OKC Thunder's breakthrough 2023-24 NBA season, playoff run
Franchise stars and all-time greats tend to be defined by postseason moments and runs. Six seasons in, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 's exact placement on the list of the world's greatest hoopers held an asterisk — as the face of a franchise, he hadn't yet seen a postseason.
The talent was undeniable. An All-NBA First Teamer , an All-Star, as challenging a scorer as the league offered. To predict that such an enigmatic ball handler would rise above the concerns a postseason provides, that he could be a first option on a contender, should've felt obvious. But there was no way of knowing until Gilgeous-Alexander got there.
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SGA held up his end of the bargain and then some.
He finished the playoff run in shallow company. Only two players in NBA history averaged at least 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.5 blocks and a steal in a postseason: Michael Jordan and Gilgeous-Alexander.
Jordan's qualifying postseason came in 1986-87, when first-round series were limited to five games. It ended in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics . Gilgeous-Alexander's came in 10 games.
The Pelicans hoped to force the ball out of SGA's hands as much as possible. Behind him, they built fortresses. In Herb Jones , SGA probably had his most tested defender to this point. He was less efficient and less effective, yet still enjoyed a first-round series that, by the numbers, would be passable for plenty stars. In the West semifinals, Gilgeous-Alexander's ability became clear.
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He forced his way to mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper. In clutch time, he masterfully flipped between trusting his own shot and trusting his teammates, many of which had often been cold leading to those moments.
The experience is under SGA's belt. If his surrounding core — both existing and those possibly joining in the near future — plays to their respective standard the way he did, the Thunder's playoff future is bright.
Here are three more things to look back on the Thunder's breakthrough 2023-24 season:
More: Which players are the OKC Thunder holding workouts with for the 2024 NBA Draft?
Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) works past Dallas forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) in the first quarter during Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Oklahoma Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Chet Holmgren 's 82 (and 15 more) lessons
In his return from a mid-season NBA road trip, Chet Holmgren graced the Thunder's facilities looking like he'd been in the octagon. Black eyes, cuts and bruises. He was dressed in the wear and tear of the NBA season, with the results of bouts with big men.
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That was only March — before Holmgren played all 82 games, plus 10 more in the postseason.
"15," Holmgren tacked on to his regular season total during his exit interview. "Preseason."
The rookie center, who missed what was meant to be his rookie season with a Lisfranc injury, made it a point to make himself available. Through illness, through aches, through soreness. There was a sense of pride in it for him. Not just because of the season he'd missed or how it put time in perspective for him. On multiple occasions, he noted that he wanted to be around for his teammates.
And somewhere along the line, before the results painted his face, he realized what it could look like on a random Tuesday in February.
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"Sometimes you're just going out there, 'This is what I've got tonight, I'm just going to give it all,'" Holmgren said. "But it's not you at your highest level. I wouldn't trade playing every game to sit out a couple to say I didn't have to go through all that. It was all worth it."
Back-to-backs made a player that moved like an alien appear mortal. Months like January saw his legs sink into the floor. Holmgren's insistence left him in rough shape at times, but he survived to deliver one of the better defensive seasons from a rookie in recent memory.
Holmgren was one of three centers to play all 82 games this season, joining Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas — both some ways away from Holmgren's weight class. Among players who averaged at least 10 minutes, Holmgren tied with Victor Wembanyama to average the second most defensive win shares (4.4) by a rookie since 1998. Only Ben Simmons (5.0) averaged more.
His defensive impact and deterrence was visible. Blocking shot after shot, forcing players to rethink even more. Daigneault confidently stated that this is the worst version anyone will see of Holmgren.
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Handling the trek of the season, fighting through inconveniences, fighting to be an on-court option all the time. Holmgren can, at the very least, say he did it. Now he knows what it takes.
"It's one thing for somebody to say, 'Oh, it's going to be more physical, the game is going to be slower,'" Holmgren said. "People can say whatever they want to say about the playoffs until you actually play in them.
"Same thing like playing in the NBA. Somebody can talk to you about it all day long, but unless you've actually done it, you don't really know exactly what to expect, how to handle it, how to adjust as things are happening. I feel like I have a good sense of what that's like now."
Jalen Williams report card: High marks for OKC Thunder forward despite playoff blip
Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks the ball during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 18, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
Josh Giddey 's fit with Thunder
Josh Giddey admitted as much himself: His on-court struggles this season were no secret.
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Opposing teams, in an attempt to deal with the matchup nightmare Holmgren is, cross matched with Giddey, or left him more space than normal, or simply stood underneath the basket and away from the corner Giddey had been shoved into. Everything was a business decision, and Giddey was often ignored in the deal.
At times, especially early on, he felt like a placeholder. Later, he felt like a passable fit in spurts. As the Thunder and Giddey each navigated the changes, they explored options to make a viable offensive option.
Make him a screener, put him in the dunker spot, put him at the elbow, make him a timely cutter. Anything that didn't deem Giddey ineffective and didn't seal SGA and Jalen Williams' lanes off.
In the end, Giddey's role shrunk. Dallas , the leader of the leave-Giddey-open movement, made it that way. After a life of being an on-ball initiator, with room to make on-ball reads and thread windows and fail and try again as a point guard, Giddey understandably struggled in an off-ball role. The Thunder tried its hardest to retain the third-year guard as part of its vision, starting him until the final two games of the season.
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Now the two sides, while seemingly optimistic about each other, approach a significant summer. Giddey is eligible for his rookie extension. The Thunder is eligible for a real leap toward contention. Both will have to determine if a future in OKC looks anything like this past season, and what that might mean.
OKC knows it identity
Things are always subject to change, but one thing feels clear: The Thunder found how it wants to play and, with most of the pieces, molded its identity this season.
The sharpshooting, while fickle, feels like a priority — or at least seeking the looks that make room for it. SGA and Williams should have any lane that they please to dance in, and everyone else should have the room to attack closeouts and endlessly drive-and-kick. Holmgren should warp defenses. OKC's fifth starter, whether that's Giddey or someone not even on the team yet, should be able to similarly make use of the advantages that come with all of that.
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OKC's offense should add layers to its machine, one that shouldn't be so swiftly solved by switching (though Dallas' defense was good). For most of the year, there were no answers to how many options the Thunder had. In its season-ending series, whether due to players underperforming or being outmatched or a combination, the offense looked a step behind.
But that doesn't mean that the foundation wasn't still solid.
Williams wasn't himself. Holmgren was limited offensively. Both will add layers and will likely be surrounded by even more spacing next season. That's what OKC has to build on. Any quick fixes — lob threats or else — would abandon that identity entirely.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder breakthrough 2023-24 season built future
