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Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Thomas Sorber stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 15th pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

5 Training Camp Questions to Watch for OKC Thunder

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Rylan Stiles | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder will begin training camp in just a few weeks, at the end of this month it is basketball time in Bricktown again.

Before training camp opens up, what should be at the top of mind when the Thunder roster returns to gear up for the upcoming season.

1) The OKC Thunder Rookie Class

The players are the first to know who can play. Training camp offers a week long player interview extravaganza. Last season, despite Oklahoma City adding Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso to the roster, rookie Ajay Mitchell was at the tip of everyone's tongue during training camp.

Who will be the Oklahoma City Thunder rookie that this bunch raves about during preseason scrimmages and drills? Nikola Topic's playmaking will compliment plenty of high level scorers and cutters on this roster. Thomas Sorber should see a few highlight plays protecting the rim and flashing his passing chops. Oh yeah, the Thunder's historic defense just got tougher by adding Brooks Barnhizer to the fold to be in charge of stopping Oklahoma City's offense during camp.

If there becomes a theme of one of this rookies being put in the spotlight it is worth putting in your back pocket. Last season, after Mitchell earned praise, he was immediately placed in the Thunder's rotation.

2) Chet Holmgren's development

After inking his rookie max extension this summer and seeing his elite defense help lift the Thunder to its first championship in franchise history, Holmgren is nearing the one-year mark post-hip fracture.

Everyone expects to see an offensive leap from the Gonzaga product who has shot the ball well at every level when healthy. His defense already places him in the top three around the NBA, but if he can return to what he looked like in the first nine games of last season, it catapults his perception around the league.

Before that hip injury on Nov. 10, Holmgren was scoring at all three levels, getting to the free throw line and flat out dominating on the offense end. How close can he get to that version of himself the further removed from injury he gets?

3) Aaron Wiggins defense

Wiggins is the Thunder's third best shot creator. His ability to score at all three levels pops and his footwork coupled with his handle lets him rack up buckets in a hurry of the dribble. That separation off the dribble is key for Oklahoma City's bench unit to score the ball and there is no denying the value he brings on that end of the floor.

However, what has hindered Wiggins from gaining a massive role in the postseason is his defensive limitations. While the Maryland product is better than he gets credit for on that end of the floor, he is admittedly uncomfortable scaling up to defend bigger bodies.

That is the role he is forced to play with Oklahoma City. If Wiggins can find success at defending power forwards it helps elevate his role which in turn lifts the Thunder's offensive output.

4) Isaiah Joe and Isaiah Hartenstein's chemistry

This is a big year for both parties. Hartenstein has a team option that the Thunder need to make a decision on next summer and Joe is a sharpshooter still trying to find ways to impact the game at the highest stage - which the OKC Thunder hope to return due in 2026.

A year ago, these two worked on their chemistry all season, trying to find more movement chances from beyond the arc for the Arkansas product off of the playmaking ability of Hartenstein.

If word gets around training camp that Joe and Hartenstein have found synergy with DHOs and Joe is able to spray the ball beyond just being a stationary catch-and-shoot option it continues to raise the ceiling of Oklahoma City's offense.

5) Ajay Mitchell's Return to Performance

A season ago, Mitchell was the talk of the town at training camp. For good reason. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard was able to not only impress during the preseason but insert himself into Mark Daigneault's rotation from opening night through his January injury.

After his stellar rookie campaign and dominating Summer League, Mitchell should start strong this fall and be in the Thunder's rotation all season.

The back up guard flashed versitility in year one. His ability to play on and off the ball, get downhill, to the free throw line and splash in catch-and-shoot looks all while setting the table as a passer fits Oklahoma City's system like a glove. Defensively, Mitchell is consistently in the right spots and helps make plays while being flanked by all-world defenders.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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