OKC Thunder: A Team Building Roster-Wide Equity

The Oklahoma City Thunder is a machine at churning out talented prospects, either still on the team's roster or upon their departure.

From Serge Ibaka, James Harden and Kevin Durant to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and the list goes on, Oklahoma City and general manager Sam Presti are elite at identifying premier talent—but they are also elite at producing and enhancing it, which is why the team is now a defending NBA champion.

Oklahoma City has made a name for itself at being able to develop young talent. Take a brief look at the past in two big names: Russell Westbrook and Durant. Morphing great talent into MVPs, scoring champions and triple-double history-makers, the Thunder organization has seemingly never turned a player's dreams into dust—it's always elevating it.

But beyond the star players are even more meaningful role players who have carved out a niche in the league. Looking at Jerami Grant, Domantas Sabonis, Josh Giddey, among others who have moved beyond the Thunder franchise, each of these players have maintained or approved upon the players they were when they competed in Bricktown.

Now in the new era, like Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace, all three of the Williams' in Kenrich, Jaylin and Jalen to upcoming talent in Ajay Mitchell and Nikola Topic—who are showcasing their development right now in the NBA Summer League—Oklahoma City could be nicknamed DevelopmentU with the way the Thunder is able to foster an ever progressing landscape in its organization.

Virtually every player on this Thunder roster has seen an increased boost in quality of play.

Lu Dort, certainly. Transforming a young, bright-eyed Gilgeous-Alexander as a sophomore in the league into an MVP, scoring champion and First-Team All NBA talent just six years later. JDub and Holmgren coming in the class of 2023, now both looking at NBA All-Star berths heading into 2025-26. Alex Caruso, coming off an injury-riddled regular season but played his most important and valuable basketball since his championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Wiggins, Wallace and Isaiah Joe have all seen steady increases in quality of play, each taking on more and more responsibility in the midst of a very deep roster. Presti makes room for his guys, and if he quite literally can't, he puts them into position to succeed—take Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic, who were shipped off to the Charlotte Hornets and saw immediate playing time and opportunities to showcase themselves.

The Thunder is consistently looking to find ways to develop its players, and that's led to the team's first-ever NBA title in 2024-25.