Former Thunder Players Fill NBA Playoff Slate

Though the Oklahoma City Thunder missed the playoffs, their are plenty of former members to root for.

The Oklahoma City Thunder concluded their 2021-22 season Sunday evening. But, the franchise’s decade of success still runs rampant across the league. Specifically, Sam Presti’s mark has been imprinted in playoff lines.

Leading into the NBA Playoffs, four former Oklahoma City Thunder members will be competing for a playoff seed while 13 ex-members have officially punched their ticket to the chase for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Play-In Series

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today

Friday’s Play-In series will host an action-packed meeting for former Thunder members as the night's first contest will pit the Atlanta Hawks against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fresh off a 29-point victory, the Hawks are looking to fly into the playoffs with Danilo Gallinari and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot as rotational members. In Cleveland’s camp, Moses Brown poses a familiar face to Thunder fans. Brown, who typically plays a condensed bench role, could be a game-changer, as with Jarrett Allen questionable to play – he may fetch a starting gig.

In the Play-In finale out West, the Paul George-led Los Angeles Clippers will look to salvage a playoff bid against the New Orleans Pelicans. Though the Pelicans hold no Thunder ties, it may be in fans’ best interest to join the Pels’ pod as if the Clippers lose – Oklahoma City will enhance their draft status tenfold.

As for teams locked into the playoffs, 10-of-14 rosters carry one-or-more former Thunder players, with the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Denver Nuggets being wiped of Bricktown influence.

Eastern Conference

Wendell Cruz / USA Today

The Eastern Conference holds Thunder remnants top-to-bottom as all nine potential playoff teams have an ex-Thunder member. At the top of the board, the Miami Heat carry former buyout sensation Markieff Morris while shedding some of Nazr Mohammed’s influence with Omer Yurtseven. The top three seeds are controlled by bigs as the second-seeded Boston Celtics are armed with Al Horford while Serge Ibaka and George Hill are with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The fourth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers pose a star-studded rotation as they are led by Joel Embiid and James Harden, who’s averaged 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 10.1 assists since joining the 76ers in February. Late-season pick-up Charlie Brown Jr. also joins the roster directly from the G League Finals.

In Harden’s movement to The Cradle of Liberty, he fell right out of Kevin Durant’s arms with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets, who won their Play-In game Tuesday, hold a scary trio of Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons, assuming all three can play.

Western Conference

Rob Gray / USA Today

The top of West churns out Bricktown’s biggest story as guards Chris Paul and Cameron Payne run the Phoenix Suns’ backcourt while former Thunder associate Head Coach Monty Williams is at the helm. Paul has been a large reason why the Suns hold a franchise-best 64 wins averaging 14.7 points and 10.8 assists. As for Payne, he’s resurrected his career in the heat commanding the bench with 10.8 points and 4.9 assists.

As one of the hottest teams in basketball, the Memphis Grizzlies have taken fans by storm as with a high-flying Ja Morant running the show – there’s always a mixtape waiting to happen. You should add a soul-crushing Steven Adams screen to that list as well. Adams, one of Bricktown’s most beloved players, has honed in on his interior work with a career-best 10.0 rebounds.

The NBA Finals are set to begin on June 2. With the Eastern Conference fully-loaded, the Thunder are guaranteed to carry some ties. 

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