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OKC Thunder mailbag: Will Sam Presti target a tradition big man in 2024 NBA Draft?

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OKC Thunder mailbag: Will Sam Presti target a tradition big man in 2024 NBA Draft?

In this edition of the Thunder mailbag, we look at whether OKC could pursue a traditional center Wednesday in the first round of the NBA Draft or next month in free agency.

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@HoyasAndNatsFan: I find it odd that so many people think that the Thunder might go for a traditional five (a lumbering guy), where I think it’s pretty clear they like versatile players. What do you think?

I see both sides. I understand the public’s desire to overcorrect by reaching for Jarrett Allen or some combination of a rebounding, lob-threat of a big. They watched their team win 57 games and do historical things with a historically young core. And along the way, they watched as the team’s deficiencies remained, preferring to preserve what worked. 

The rebounding and added qualities of a traditional big were never acquired, and even after the Thunder internally improved its rebounding post All-Star break, the glaring moments of flaw were among the scenes that stuck with fans most. 

At the same time, there was little indication from Sam Presti’s exit interview that he’d look to plug in such a different style. A top-five defense meant more than added rebounding, he said. Chet Holmgren can be a center, he said. 

So much of what worked for the Thunder offense depended on fluidity, drive-and-kicks, spacing, having players that could act on that spacing and prevent broken plays. So much of what Presti said underscored that.

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That points toward grabbing players meant for the dribble-pass-shoot-mold. That likely means waiting to see if Jalen Williams can eventually step up and sufficiently create in a pressurized playoff setting like the West semifinals. That could very well mean that, if there is actually some interest in Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, it’s a reserve role — not pushing Holmgren to power forward like some are praying for. 

People want a contender. They want one now. And this league gives mixed signals about the window and time it takes. 

There’s so much parity, so much shift in annual results — there’s been a different NBA champion each of the last six seasons, the first instance since 1980 — that OKC’s trajectory is hard to peg. Chance still needs to strike. 

But Boston, the most recent champion, got it done with a five-out offense. There’s context required, obviously; The anguish Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown endured in so-close-yet-so-far playoffs runs; The NBA 2k trades that Brad Stevens somehow turned to complete a contender. Still, the Cs got it done with this style, with endless spacing and seemingly never running out of advantages. And defense, too, of course. 

There’s no indication that Presti is influenced by anything happening in Boston, but the template appears sound. It seems the last thing he wants is to find himself so aggressively committed to correcting something or a certain style that it bites a chunk out of the team’s identity. 

More: What’s next for the OKC Thunder? Player report cards, key offseason dates

To make future editions of the mailbag, email questions to jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or message him on Twitter @jxlorenzi.

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