NBA Preseason Will be Valuable for OKC Thunder's Youth and Newcomers

Although wins and losses aren't important in the preseason, it'll be good for the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the regular season.

Isaiah Hartenstein watches a session. Thunder media day ay the Paycom Center Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / DOUG HOKE/THEOKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Results of the NBA preseason don't typically matter in the grand scheme of the year, but for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it will provide some valuable time for some experimentation with its young talent and new additions.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort have already been announced as absences from Monday's preseason opener against the San Antonio Spurs, which will allow more opportunity for players deeper in the rotation to get reps ahead of the start of the regular season.

Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in particular are making their debuts as part of the Thunder, so they'll each be able to get a feel for what the team looks like even without two players in the starting lineup. Neither will probably suit up for the entire preseason period, but the games they do appear in will help lessen the time it takes for them to get comfortable in the system.

Along with them, Cason Wallace, Dillon Jones and the rest of the first and second-year talent in Oklahoma City will also be able to get increased roles. Wallace in particular has an ability to improve as a playmaker and shot creator, and he'll have the option to do that more in a preseason setting.

The Thunder will likely opt to distribute minutes evenly throughout the rotation, especially in regards to Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, who don't need too many preseason reps. By extension, that lets the bottom half of the rotation get the chance to play their way into more minutes.

Nobody will remember anything that happened in the preseason in a couple of months from now, but for what it is, Oklahoma City can make the most of it. All it can do is the fullest preparation for its regular season opener against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Oct. 24.

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