SHOP NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nYes, this group is young. Gilgeous-Alexander is the oldest at 25, followed by the 24-year-old Dort, the 22-year-old Williams, and Giddey and Holmgren, the pair of 21-year-olds. But last season proved how well they play high IQ basketball together, minus Holmgren. Their defense was in the top half of the League, an impressive accomplishment for a group without years of experience. Their offense is an ever-evolving organism of dynamic movement, only possible through selfless harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark Daigneault has crafted a system that emphasizes this togetherness. Beyond the highlights of Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s scoring outbursts, Williams\u2019 dunks, Giddey\u2019s passes, Dort\u2019s steals and Holmgren\u2019s blocks, a true foundation has been built. It stands on unity and commitment. They\u2019ve pledged themselves to crisp ball and player movement and highly timed switchability. It\u2019s easy to miss. All five of these guys, and many other players on the Thunder, are cold as ice. They play in rare sneakers, rock clothing that displays their distinct auras and move with a general ease. But this is a real basketball team. They can hoop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n“I\u2019d say what separates this team from most NBA teams is most NBA teams got a bunch of 30-year-olds…But here, we\u2019re damn near all still kids. So we all cool.\u201d <\/p>\n– Chet Holmgren <\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\nNothing better illustrates how equally smart and well prepared they are than their strong side cuts. It jumps out immediately when watching Giddey\u2019s individual highlights and Williams\u2019 individual highlights. The same plays pop up in both film studies. The rhythm to their offense starts to emerge when Giddey drives to the right side of the floor. Williams regularly hits the same cut from the right wing whenever Giddey approaches his defender. Time it out next time the Thunder play. Usually two or three dribbles from the Melbourne native, JDub finds his angle and then\u2026BOOM. A big dunk. JDub already has a few serious body bags. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe practice it every day,\u201d Giddey says about the strong-side cuts to the rim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hold up, though. Record scratch. We can\u2019t know that. Nobody\u2019s supposed to know that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCut that out, bro,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander jumps in after a seemingly nervous laugh from JDub. \u201cWe don\u2019t wanna give away the sauce.\u201d Sitting on the far right, Gilgeous-Alexander looks over to his teammates and says it again with a sly smile. \u201cWe don\u2019t practice that, bro. We don\u2019t practice that. It just happens. They just figure it out,\u201d he says with another smile. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAlright, so Gilgeous-Alexander just happened to average 31 points a night. And Dort just happened to figure out how to increase his total points scored in every season of his career. And Giddey just stumbled upon pulling down 8 rebounds and dishing out 6.2 assists each game. And JDub somehow walked into playing 30 minutes per game as a rook. And Holmgren was the No. 2 overall pick by happenstance. Alright, alright, alright. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no reason for any of it. It all just\u2026happened?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe. But probably not. Because we\u2019re here right now in the present, with the past\u2019s impact being fully felt and the future too far away to be a thought, we can look at each of these players truthfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s the dynamic scorer, the young big whose potential might be limitless, the trusted playmaker, the lockdown perimeter defender and the versatile do-everything-forward. To varying degrees, each of them can dribble, pass and find their own looks. To varying degrees, each of them can sink an open shot. To varying degrees, each of them can make game-defining plays. To the same degree, each of them have bought into Daigneault\u2019s vision. That vision started with patience. They\u2019ve been biding their time. For now\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nGilgeous-Alexander\u2019s rise in the NBA dates back to his rookie year. He started for a surprising Clippers squad that caught everyone off guard by taking the dominant Warriors to six games in the 2019 playoffs. He was just 20 years old gifting the defending champs with 25 points in a playoff game. There was substance to his game that a lot of people didn\u2019t realize. They saw him, and they saw a young kid. He made them see him as an expanding problem. The Thunder saw him as a certified solution. They brought him to Oklahoma City in July of 2019 (the same trade gave OKC the pick that JDub was eventually selected with in 2022). Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s iso game continued to grow. He\u2019s become nearly unguardable. Most know him as crafty. Very few know him as a reader. But he\u2019s not reading books. He\u2019s reading defenses like they\u2019re children\u2019s books. He gets to his spots and cashes out. A lot of his damage comes from the\u2026duh-duh-duh\u2026dreaded midrange area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you look at it, the most prolific scorers in the NBA and over the years have shot midranges,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander says. \u201cKevin Durant, T-Mac, Kobe, Devin Booker right now, Bradley Beal, Jimmy Butler. At the end of the day, you just make shots. Where it comes from is your choice, but as long as you make them, you’ll be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nGilgeous-Alexander plays at his own pace. He\u2019s methodical with the ball in his hand. The Thunder, as a squad, play fast, thanks in part to Giddey. He\u2019s a pure point guard who stands 6-8, blessed with sightlines high above defenses. Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams sing his praises right after we\u2019re sworn to secrecy about those strong side cuts that definitely don\u2019t get practiced every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m gonna give you the answer right now\u2014it\u2019s Josh Giddey,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander says. \u201cWhen you have a passer like that, it\u2019s inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt makes you move,\u201d Williams joins in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have to cut, you have to move,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander continues. \u201cAnd he\u2019ll find you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s only one team in the world with a Josh Giddey,\u201d Holmgren adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m being dead serious,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander emphasizes. \u201cA lot of it is Josh. He\u2019ll find you if you\u2019re open. So get open.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVanilla Magic,\u201d Holmgren says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Giddey silently sits in between his teammates. He\u2019s not boisterous. He\u2019s just effective. Very effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt feels good to make other [teammates] feel good,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOne of the teammates that is consistently on the other end of Giddey\u2019s dimes is Williams. They were undeniably aligned with each other. Giddey loves to initiate the offense from below the three-point line. He finds JDub because JDub never stops moving. It seems like JDub has echolocation on for gaps in the defense. But the rook also demonstrated advanced ability with the rock in his hand. He\u2019s already efficient in the pick-and-roll, which he credits to spending three years in college at Santa Clara. Whether he\u2019s got the ball or is setting the screen and diving to the rim, he knows how to do it far better than most players his age. He played almost every position and role at Santa Clara. His time at school served as a first class education in hoops. Like Gilgeous-Alexander, JDub reads the defense and takes what he\u2019s being given. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEspecially since I got into the NBA, a lot of it has been tailored toward playing off of who’s on the court,\u201d Williams says. \u201cIf I’m out there with them, a lot of it is reading stuff,\u201d he says about his high-profile teammates. \u201cWhere am I going to cut from or where I’m going to get open shots from? Other than that, it’s just kind of, like, going downhill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Thunder do indeed play fast and they drive to the tin a lot. A lot. There are already a handful of names in Dub\u2019s graveyard. Those questions about his lack of athleticism going into the draft have been disproven over and over. Not only do those downhill attacks produce Jalen Williams dunks\u2014they also produce Lu Dort threes. Dort has worked extremely hard on his jumper since coming into the League back in 2019. His reputation as a defensive stopper is of course very true. Dort\u2019s footwork while evading on-ball picks should be taught to every kid in the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dort\u2019s revamped jumper hides a unique and often overlooked detail. Shooters are taught to extend and hold their follow-throughs. It really does aid in the shot\u2019s probability of dropping, especially when shooting from over 24 feet away. Dort, however, rarely holds his follow-through. Most of the time, his right hand retreats. He doesn\u2019t hold it up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taken by surprise when it\u2019s pointed out, Dort shows how his right wrist has a hitch in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy wrist is messed up, you know what I mean? So when I do it, I\u2019m not doing it on purpose,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reveal makes Gilgeous-Alexander gasp. It makes Giddey grin. It makes Holmgren stare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh my God, I\u2019m learning so much,\u201d JDub says. \u201cWow, I did not know that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s a comfortable and natural reaction for him. And it\u2019s worked. His shot has consistently gotten better throughout his career, while his defensive prowess has grown, too. He has tons of lockdown knowledge to share with Holmgren. Last season, the Thunder\u2019s defensive principles were specifically designed to mitigate their lack of size on the interior. That all changes with the return of the 7-1 rookie. Holmgren is gonna score. OKC\u2019s offense will get him open looks. But he\u2019s gonna make his name on the other side of the ball. He has switchability in the pick-and-roll, so he\u2019ll be tasked with guarding smalls in space. He has weak side swats on lock thanks to his 7-6 wingspan. Plus, he\u2019s much more competitive than he looks. People have been trying him for years now. He always responds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really just learned how good the talent level is in the NBA,\u201d Holmgren says about his one year away from the court. \u201cYou could play great defense and literally not make a mistake and still give up three points. There\u2019s great players in this League and great players make plays. Sometimes it’s just good defense, better offense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s ready for the challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s looking just ahead to the future. It\u2019s still a little far away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, these five guys got a few more things to do. They gotta throw on some jewelry. They gotta take some photos. They gotta laugh some more. And they gotta fully be where their feet are, down here in the basement of the Paycom Center, all eyes on the coming season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SLM-247-OKC-resized.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/19-3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/7-7.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/6-8.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/7-8.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-8.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/1-9.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1730507558-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/3-8.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/12-6.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/3-9.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/3-7.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-9.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-7.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n