The Golden State Warriors came away with a narrow 141-139 win on Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and their head coach Steve Kerr was full of praise for their young opponents after the game.
“These guys are coming. Everyone can feel it.”
Steve Kerr on OKC:
“These guys are coming. Everyone can feel it.”
(via @NBCSWarriors) pic.twitter.com/e8VCHxI4dX
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 4, 2023
I think everyone started to feel that last season itself. The Thunder shocked many by finishing with a 40-42 record in the 2022-23 campaign and were one win away from getting to the playoffs. For a team that young to perform so well let you know they were coming as they were only going to get better.
They gave the Warriors a run for their money here despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missing the contest with a knee injury. It speaks to the depth for OKC now where they can remain competitive even when he’s out. They had six players score in double-digits, with Lu Dort leading the way with 29 points.
Chet Holmgren, meanwhile, had probably the best game of his young career, finishing with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. I’d say the future looks extremely bright for the Thunder, but they’re looking like a very good team in the present itself.
The Thunder Are In A Position To Make A Big Move Too
What makes the situation in OKC so unique, is that they’re also in a position to make a huge move on the trade market. The Thunder have 37 picks in the next seven years, and they can put together a very good package to land a star if the need ever arises in their mind.
They’d even be able to pull it off without having to part with Shai and Holmgren, which would be huge. It might be a safe bet to assume, that the next big superteam in the NBA could well be in Oklahoma City in a few years.
Bill Simmons Thinks The Thunder Could Be The Second Coming Of The Warriors Dynasty
While this young Thunder team is often compared to the team from a decade or so ago which had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, NBA analyst Bill Simmons had a different comparison in mind. Simmons thinks the Thunder could be the second coming of the Warriors dynasty.
“I have OKC 4th in the West this year. They were 40-42 last year, a year younger, no center,” argued Bill. “Golden State, Curry era, 2012: 23 wins. 2013, 47. 2014, 51. 2015, 67… so this OKC team this year, 40 last year, 20 the year before. Last year: no Chet, SGA missed 14 games, and Jalen Williams only came on in the 2nd half of the year… SGA is 25 and a top 7 player in the NBA.”
While the fourth seed might seem a bit too high, it doesn’t seem very unrealistic. They have got a superstar in Gilgeous-Alexander and have a lot of good pieces around him. One wildcard regarding the Thunder was just how much of an impact would Chet Holmgren have and the answer to that is a fair bit, as evidenced by his play against the Warriors.
I still feel, though, that they need to make one big trade to get over the line. With all their assets, they are fully capable of acquiring a star, and the question is who would they consider worthy of it.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
