Former Thunder Players Shine Across League on Opening Night
Despite less than 15 years as an NBA franchise, there are multiple former Thunder players now operating as focal points of other teams. On opening night of the NBA season, many of these former players exhibited impressive performances for their current squad.
Former OKC lottery pick James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers helped usher in the 2022-23 NBA season during their Tuesday night contest against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics. Harden appeared to have returned to his MVP level of play on opening night, recording 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a 126-117 loss.
For Boston, former Thunder big man Al Horford pitched in six points and five rebounds.
The second game of Tuesday night's double header featured a showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Beloved Oklahoma City legend Russell Westbrook notched a double-double for the Lakers, tallying 19 points and 11 rebounds in addition to three assists.
Westbrook looked much more confident than last year sharing the floor with his Lakers teammates, getting to the rim quickly and finding open shooters at the perimeter. Despite a strong showing from the 2017 NBA MVP, Golden State defeated Los Angeles 123-109.
JaMychal Green, who was traded to the Thunder this offseason before being released by the team, totaled eight points and seven rebounds for the Warriors.
On Wednesday night, the Brooklyn Nets and former OKC superstar Kevin Durant took the court against the New Orleans Pelicans, falling 130-108. While he didn't receive much help from his teammates, Durant had an excellent performance, scoring 32 points in addition to three rebounds and two assists.
On the same night, former Thunder center Steven Adams cracked Memphis' starting rotation against the New York Knicks. Adams, who is still depicted in a mural in the West Village District of Oklahoma City, scored two points on only two shot attempts. In true Steven Adams fashion, though, the New Zealand native still made his presence felt, nabbing 14 rebounds.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
