OKC Thunder Still Looking to Playoffs ‘Arrival’ Rather Than ‘Appearance’

The Oklahoma City Thunder are organizationally still looking to make an arrival, rather than just an appearance, in the NBA Playoffs.

One of the more exciting stories in basketball this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have far exceeded the expectations set for them in the 2022-23 season.

They surpassed their projected win total prior to the All-Star break, sent a player to the All-Star game for the first time since 2019 and have had a bevy of young, up-and-coming players show promise.

For awhile, they’ve held a play-in spot. But now on a three-game slide, it’s getting further and further out of reach for the young squad. And organizationally, that may pay dividends in the future.

The team entered All-Star beak as the outright 10-seed and holder of the final Play-In game. But since has already fallen to the 13-seed and 8th in the NBA reverse standings.

“We have a clear direction in plan to reach the goals we have,” said Thunder general manager Sam Presti prior to the 2022-23 season. “And our goals are high — When we do get back to the postseason, we want it to be an arrival and not an appearance.”

While this year’s Thunder squad has been a fun story, they weren’t and aren’t necessarily on track to make an arrival in the NBA Playoffs. And as the youngest team in NBA history, they shouldn’t be.

Making it out of the play-in game would be no easy feat in itself, and thus far history hasn't been kind to play-in winners or seven and eight-seeds. 

But with No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren and a potentially higher 2023 draftee due to better odds gained in the late-season, Oklahoma City is well on track to make an arrival for the 2023-24 season. Not counting the internal development they'll make with Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and more.

There’s still a chance OKC can make this year’s play-in game with a late push. But with the organization continuing to prioritize development, and with a higher pick only more likely to help the team longterm, it might not be as likely as once thought.

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