OKC Thunder Hungry For Next Step in Rebuild

The Oklahoma City Thunder held their exit interviews on Saturday, and the players seem ready to continue growing.

After losing in their second game of the Play-In Tournament, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season came to a close. As the door comes to a close, there’s plenty to reflect on this season – and quite a bit of it is good.

Despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having a first-team All-NBA level season, and being a finalist for the most improved player, he’s hungry for more. At his exit interview on Saturday, he reiterated that he wants to be one of the greatest players to ever play. He isn't satisfied with what he’s accomplished yet and wants more.

It’s not just Gilgeous-Alexander, though. He also talked about Chet Holmgren in his exit interview, who missed the entire season and will be a rookie next season.

“[Chet Holmgren] wants to be really good and he wants to prove himself to the world. That fire in him is impressive. Because of that, I think he's going to be a heck of a basketball player,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned.

All season, the Thunder have lacked size, and at some times, even shooting. Holmgren will be able to add both of those qualities, while bringing some elite defense. He’s got the make and mold to fit into the squad any way he’s needed. With his desire to get better, he’s going to elevate the ceiling of this team.

When Kenrich Williams stepped up to the podium, he complimented Gilgeous-Alexander’s defense and leadership on the season.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 2.6 stocks on the season, being 1.6 steals per game and one block per game. His effort on that side of the ball was infectious and overall raised the team’s potential on defense.

As for Gilgeous-Alexander being a leader, Williams gave the All-Star credit for taking Jalen Williams under his wing. In his rookie season, Jalen Williams was able to avoid any rookie wall and continued to get better at every stage this season.

As Kenrich Williams continued on at his exit interview, he mentioned that the biggest part of Josh Giddey’s growth this season has been the game slowing down for him. It’s been evident for Giddey, as he was able to control games more often when Gilgeous-Alexander had to sit for a break.

At 20-years-old, Giddey is only going to be able to expand on that. He saw his shooting percentages rise and overall seemed more comfortable in this season. One of his best games of his young career was in the first game of the Play-In Tournament.

Overall, the youngest squad in the league is going to be able to improve at nearly every aspect going into next season, and the experience they got this season will be immensely valuable.

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