Oct 6, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault looks on during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickie's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

OKC Thunder Deploy Interesting Starting Lineup in Season Opener

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Rylan Stiles | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 7:08 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder begin their season on Tuesday, Oct. 21 against the Houston Rockets with this serving as the NBA's first game of the 82 game regular season and the return to NBC as the league's new broadcast partner after making the 90s unforgettable on their network.

Tonight also includes a pregame party, with Championship rings being dished out to this roster - 99% of whom were on that title team - an the first World Championship banner being hung in the Paycom Center rafters to keep the team's two Western Conference Championship and countless Northwest Divisional banners company high in the sky.

However, it also serves as a fantastic basketball game between two of the team's favored to survive the Western Conference - the toughest in basketball. Oklahoma City is attemping to earn an opening night win against Houston without their All-NBA swingman, as Jalen Williams still recovers from offseason surgery to repair torn ligaments in his wrist.

This left the Oklahoma City Thunder with an interesting decision to make before the game. It is expected that once healthy, head coach Mark Daigneault will lean on a first five that includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein around Williams.

There are few tougher matchups than the Rockets to be missing the size that Williams provides that group from the small forward spot. That - along with the absence of sharpshooter Isaiah Joe, who is often a spot starter for this team when dealing with injuries - narrowed down the list of candidates to defensive-aces Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace as well as bucket getter Aaron Wiggins.

While Wallace and Wiggins have been deployed as spot starters far more often than Caruso, the NBA veteran's defensive versatility, size and play-finishing ability makes him an appealing option for Oklahoma City to attempt to recreate some of what Williams offers. Wiggins off the bench to replace the Santa Clara's scoring prowess in the secondary unit while Wallace adds another ball handling guard to the bench mob alongside Ajay Mitchell.

30 minutes before the game, Mark Daigneault released the starting five for this contest against the Houston Rockets with Wallace in place of Williams. This keeps Caruso in his normal bench role which he has nearly exclusively been deployed in as a member of the Thunder.