Gilbert Arenas gave a very definitive response while sharing his thoughts on the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of their postseason campaign. While discarding them as contenders for the title, Arenas effectively relegated their chances of even making the NBA Finals.
“To reach the Finals? I give them 0%,” said Arenas in response to OKC’s chances of making it out of the West.
While discussing the roster construction and the state of everyone’s contract, Arenas hinted at the main challenge for the Thunder being retaining their young core for the future.
“If this was a big city…they’re going to figure it out,” he added. “But the fact that they are in OKC, and it’s a smaller market team, you’re going to have to pay Shai the bank this summer. Chet can ask for money. Jalen- You can’t lock these!”
https://twitter.com/GilsArenaShow/status/1912612825580585156
Gilbert Arenas makes a valid point about the near future. When considering the way players such as Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort, and Chet Holmgren have been performing this season, OKC will have its hands full trying to keep everyone happy.
However, his statement doesn’t necessarily correlate with the Thunder’s chances of making the NBA Finals this year. The only element that holds value from Arenas’ statement is the relative inexperience of the team, which may impact their output and performance in the playoffs.
Although OKC has no shortage of naysayers, the team is primed to make a deep playoff run.
As the No.1 seed in the West, the Thunder dominated the regular season with a 68-14 record. Having performed with consistent and sustained brilliance, OKC is widely viewed as one of the best teams heading into the postseason.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been a gold mine for producing and developing star-caliber talent. Now served by a potential MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are on the verge of having a dynasty on their hands.
As things stand, the Thunder are in a strong position as they will enjoy home-court advantage in every series in the West. However, they may face immediate strategic challenges that could cause some problems along the way.
OKC is still awaiting its matchup to be decided for the first round. With the Dallas Mavericks beating the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, the matchup for the final game of the Play-In tournament has been decided. However, this Play-In game will only be held on Friday.
This gives the Thunder a very small window to prepare for the first series of their postseason campaign. With the bracket narrowed down to the Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies, OKC is likely to prepare for both teams with the intent of winning Game 1 on Sunday at 1:00 pm ET.
