Does the Thunder Contending Limit Internal Development?

Being too good is never a problem that teams are going to try and fix, but does this problem limit teams to how their young core develops?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off a season where just about everything went according to plan. They won their first NBA championship, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP and they didn’t lose any key pieces.

But is that a good thing for a couple of years down the road?

The Thunder are loaded with talent up and down the roster with players like Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and that’s only the beginning. Lu Dort has developed into a knockdown three shooter and Alex Caruso can do it all. You could list the whole roster, but you have to ask the question.

How are young guys going to get valuable minutes?

There’s no doubt that the Thunder staff themselves will shape the young guys into players who can contribute. But will they get the minutes to show that this season? 

Searching For Minutes

Drafted rookies Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer will both start their careers in the G League, where they’ll try to prove they can hang with NBA competition. The challenge for the Thunder is that their squad is already loaded with forward talent. Sorber and Barnhizer could be dominating the G League, but that doesn't mean they will play over Williams, Holmgren, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, or Kenrich Williams

Guards Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell both have real shots at getting decent minutes for the Thunder this season. Topic is going into his first official NBA season after being out all last year with a partially torn ACL, and could be a supporting guard this year. 

This sparks competition for playing time with returning guard Ajay Mitchell, who missed the back half of the season with a toe injury. Both guards could be contributors for the Thunder, but with players like Gilgeous-Alexander, Caruso, Wallace and Dort, there aren’t a lot of backcourt minutes to give out. 

Opportunities Always Arrive

Although the young OKC players might not have solidified rotational minutes, that doesn’t mean they won’t play. 

As heartbreaking as it is, injuries pop up here and there, which is why too much talent is never a problem to have. One of these guys could end up being the Thunder’s saving grace if a starter or rotational player goes down. 

You never wish you’ll have to call the next man up, but this could set up these young players' careers and bring something new to Oklahoma City.