The Thunder's Championship Window Hasn't Started Shutting Quite Yet

One season doesn’t define this OKC squad. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder were not able to accomplish what they did a season ago, as they fell short in the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. This came as quite a shock to the NBA community, as the Thunder had been the favorites to repeat as champions all season long. 

OKC had all of its key pieces back this season, and even added to them halfway through the year with the addition of Jared McCain. Additionally, the Spurs are still supposed to be an up-and-coming team, with their star players of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper all still being on their rookie contracts. 

Taking all of this into mind might make it seem like the future for the Thunder is just going to get tougher and tougher, but when you dive into it, it isn’t all what it seems. 

Oklahoma City might have walked into the season with all of its key players, but it was missing two pieces in the conference finals when it mattered most. Guards Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams were both battling injuries during the matchup against San Antonio, leaving the Thunder without two of its main weapons. 

Luckily for OKC, both Williams and Mitchell are under contract to come back and rep the Blue next season. This is the case for many of OKC’s players, allowing the Thunder to go into next season with a familiar squad if they choose to do so. 

Now, you could make the point that the Spurs are so young and that they will only continue to get better, but most people forget that OKC isn’t exactly old. The Thunder only has two players who are above the age of 30, with the OKC core either in their prime or yet to enter it. 

Of their big three, the Thunder has Williams, who is 25, a back-to-back MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is only 28 and finally a young and upcoming star in Chet Holmgren, who is 24. This Oklahoma City core has already been taking the league by storm, and is set to for years to come. 

After the disappointment of a playoff loss to an unexpected team, some might believe that the league has been taken from OKC. However, the Thunder’s front office has prepared the Thunder for years down the road, meaning the Thunder’s championship window is still wide open.