Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder Can Experiment With Healthy Playoff Rotation vs. Rockets

The Thunder's top players will all be available for Friday night's battle.

Ivan White

Apr 2, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Jalen Williams (8) high five after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Apr 2, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Jalen Williams (8) high five after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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Oklahoma City’s final stretch features limited matchups against playoff teams, making every marquee matchup even more important.

The Thunder will face one of those playoff teams on Friday night in Houston when they take on the No. 2 seed Rockets. While the Rockets have spent a fair chunk of the season one spot behind the Thunder in the standings, there is still a 14.5-game gap between the teams.

While the Thunder seemingly have no real competition out West, playing against the second seed allows them to try some things out against a playoff opponent. Over the past couple of weeks, the Thunder have had their fair share of chances to experiment against playoff opponents, but it often has come without a full playoff rotation.

With Aaron Wiggins back from his nearly two-week absence, the Thunder’s lone potential rotation guy still out will be Jaylin Williams. Considering healthy DNPs or games with under five minutes played have happened occasionally for Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams throughout the season, having the top nine rotation guys available is massive for the Thunder.

Considering how decimated the Thunder have been due to injuries this season, these nine have rarely been available at the same time. Through 76 games, the Thunder have had their top nine available for only five games, going 4-1, with the lone loss coming in the second game of a back-to-back series with the Denver Nuggets that featured Jalen Williams missing the entire second half.

While starting lineup experimentation and changes have been going on throughout the season, the Thunder can truly experiment with just about any lineup it wants against a Rockets team that has its own versatility down the roster. Whether trying different guards and wings alongside the double bigs or perhaps going with a five-guard lineup, the Thunder can simply try whatever they want against a playoff team in a game that only has stakes for the Rockets.

Most importantly, the Thunder could be turning a corner when it comes to health with the postseason just around the corner. Getting more reps together for a team that has been decimated by injuries all year could be a perfect recipe for success in the playoffs.

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Ivan White
IVAN WHITE

Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered the OKC Thunder since 2022 and covers OSU athletics for The O’Colly.

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