Should Brooklyn Nets Model their Rebuild after OKC Thunder?

How quickly could the Brooklyn Nets become top contenders in the East?

After years of middling contention, the Brooklyn Nets have officially moved towards their rebuilding phase. Moving forward, should the Oklahoma City Thunder be the model for this team's rebuild?

In the 2019-20 campaign, the Thunder traded away Paul George and ESPN's Basketball Power Index predicted that Oklahoma didn't even have a 1% chance to make the playoffs. In fact, they were given a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs. Nets floor general, Dennis Schroder, was one of the focal points of that squad that made the playoffs as a fifth seed.

With Schroder and Chris Paul departing going into the following season, the Thunder, in part, gave the keys of the franchise to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander, 25, has not disappointed since.

His leadership to lead the Thunder to the first seed in the Western Conference last season has roared across the league despite an exit in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals. This can be shown recently in Isaiah Hartenstein's free agency decision, after falling one win short of going to the Eastern Conference Finals last season with the New York Knicks. To join a team that didn't come closer to reaching the Conference Finals a bit of his decision showed Hartenstein is convinced the Thunder are the more promising team, in addition to the pay increase.

Mikal Bridges' arrival on the Knicks is taking a chance on a player fulfilling voids that weren't filled last year, but left the Nets with a puzzle to put together. One certain puzzle piece is that Cam Thomas could be a Gilgeous-Alexander-type piece for the Nets' rebuild. Breaking into the top three MVP conversations for votes will be the biggest challenge yet in his long and luxurious basketball career up until this point.

If not, the Nets will likely look to the NBA Draft to add top talent.

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