An unstoppable force with the ball in his hands and downhill momentum, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams knows how to deliver. After scooping up a loose ball on one end of the floor, the sophomore leads the charge in transition, smashes straight into the paint then slips a no-look dime ahead to Ousmane Dieng. Williams finished the October 30, 2023 matchup with 19 points, seven boards and six assists.

Jalen Williams

Jalen Williams pushes pace, slips no-look dime into the paint

Calm, collected and unusually experienced for a rookie, Vasilije Micić provides instant impact for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The inbounder in a baseline out-of-bounds play, Micić executes the play to script, resulting in a wide-open triple for his first NBA points. The 29-year-old drained his only attempt and added an assist in the October 27, 2023 victory.

Vasilije Micić

Vasilije Micić executes baseline inbound play for first career basket

Though he’s earned his reputation as a defensive specialist, what Luguentz Dort brings to the Oklahoma City Thunder is so much more. A calming presence while down one in the final minute of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dort takes his spot beyond the arc and waits for a series of swing passes to find him for a drive and go-ahead hoop. Dort finished with 25 points in the October 27, 2023 contest and his squad walked away with the win.

Luguentz Dort

Luguentz Dort sinks go-ahead hoop down stretch vs. Cavs

A tantalizing combination of skill and size since the moment he appeared on the basketball radar, Chet Holmgren’s NBA debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder did not disappoint. Checked by a veteran big in the corner, Holmgren feigns a post move before pivoting into a picturesque turnaround jumper. Holmgren finished his October 25, 2023 debut with 11 points, four boards and three assists.

Chet Holmgren

Chet Holmgren drills turnaround jumper for first NBA basket

Though touted for his elite on-ball defense, it didn’t take long for the unacquainted to learn there’s much more to Cason Wallace. Working off of a screen from fellow rookie Chet Holmgren, Wallace seizes an opportunity to create space from his defender and pull up for a jumper. Wallace didn’t miss in his October 25, 2023 debut, shooting 5-for-5 in a lopsided Oklahoma City Thunder victory.

Cason Wallace

Cason Wallace buries jumper, shoots 5-for-5 in first career game

The Oklahoma City Thunder may have fallen one win short of the postseason, but the club still took massive steps forward in 2022-23. The Thunder won 16 more games than in 2021-22, with much of that due to the exciting young core that the team has spent the past few years building. Standing at the head of that class is fifth-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who developed into one of the best young players in the league after being named an All-Star for the first time and earning a spot on the All-NBA First Team. Gilgeous-Alexander finished fourth in the league in scoring at 31.4 points per game, shooting 51 percent from the field and over 90 percent at the foul line with an NBA-leading 669 made free throws. His 45 games of at least 30 points also led the league, and he joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only players in franchise history to average 30 points in a season. The Thunder selected Jalen Williams with the 12th pick in the 2022 draft and he produced a season worthy of a spot on the All-Rookie First Team after averaging 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals across 75 games to finish runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting. In just his second season in the league, Josh Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists as one of the lead playmakers for an offensive unit that ranked fifth in the league in points per game. Oklahoma City defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the team’s first play-in tournament game before falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves, coming up just shy of the Western Conference’s number eight seed.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder season rewind summarizes 2022-23 season

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s third and final lottery pick selected in the 2022 draft was easily the most impactful. Taken with the 12th pick, Jalen Williams averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals across 75 games while shooting better than 52 percent from the field — earning himself a runner-up finish in Rookie of the Year voting. Williams was the fifth Oklahoma City player to be named to an All-Rookie team and joined Russell Westbrook as the only other to make the First Team while helping the upstart to 40 wins and a spot in the play-in tournament. Williams led all rookies in steals and placed fourth in points, assists and field-goal percentage and was twice named Western Conference Rookie of the Month, becoming the third Thunder player to earn that honor multiple times. He scored 20-plus points 17 times and posted two 30-point games, including a season-high 32-point performance on 12 of 15 shooting on March 5. The versatile 6-foot-6 forward scored at least 15 points in 10 straight games — the second-longest streak by a rookie in 2022-23 — and tallied double-digit points in 15 of his final 18 games. Williams also joined Westbrook and Kevin Durant as the only Thunder rookies to post three or more games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. 

Jalen Williams remix celebrates 2022-23 All-Rookie season

The 2022-23 season was a breakout campaign for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose career-high 31.4 points per game was nearly seven points higher than the preceding year. In his first All-NBA First Team and All-Star season, the fifth-year guard became the third player in Oklahoma City Thunder history to average 30 points per game, joining franchise legends Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Gilgeous-Alexander also set career-best marks in field-goal and free-throw percentage, steals and blocks per game, becoming the second guard in NBA history to average 30 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block while shooting at least 50 percent. He also became the youngest guard to ever average 30 points per game on 50 percent shooting and finished fifth in MVP voting. Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 30 points in 45 of his 68 games — the most in the league this season. He also posted six 40-point games, matching his career-high with 44 points on February 10 to become the first Thunder player to score 40-plus points on 80 percent shooting. The Thunder are back on the rise, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading Oklahoma City to 40 wins and a spot in the play-in tournament following 22- and 24-win campaigns the previous two seasons. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remix celebrates 2022-23 All-NBA season

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Jalen Williams

Vasilije Micić

Luguentz Dort

Chet Holmgren

Cason Wallace

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder

Jalen Williams

Jalen Williams

Jalen Williams

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander