OKC Thunder Young Core Voted as Most Promising in NBA Preseason General Manager Survey
Oklahoma City’s young core has been increasingly attracting attention from around the league.
Comprised of rookie Chet Holmgren, sophomore Jalen Williams, third-year Josh Giddey and 25-year old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their balanced mix of play styles and personalities are hard to ignore.
General managers around the NBA have noticed what Thunder GM Sam Presti has built and is building, as shown in the annual NBA GM survey released on Tuesday.
Of the GM's who voted on the most promising young core in the league, an overwhelming 73% felt that Oklahoma City has the brightest future, with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic coming in second and third.
It’s hard to refute that, too, as the Thunder’s first preseason contest of the year on Monday night helped support that survey’s findings. Edging out No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs by a point, 122-121, Holmgren flashed his offensive ability and notched 21 points on an efficient 10 shots in the win.
Rookie Cason Wallace also showed his impact despite only scoring two points as a starter, tallying three steals and five boards with a team-high plus-minus of +17. Not particularly viewed as part of the Thunder’s core, but a very talented player who certainly has the ability to come along in his own right.
Giddey and Williams also contributed in the starting lineup, posting 22 combined points.
While the survey just extended to GMs, the relatively reserved Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich had some words on Presti’s rebuilding efforts following Monday night’s game. “Sammy’s a pain in the ass,” he said.
“He’s brilliant, he’s fantastic, which I knew from day one — he and Clay [Bennett] have built a class organization, something everybody in the league should emulate.”
If garnering praise from the league’s GMs weren’t enough, garnering it from Popovich does it. A five-time NBA Champion and three-time NBA Coach of the Year, his words mean arguably as much as anyone’s in the NBA.
While some teams around the league seemingly caught on to the Thunder’s possible future success last season from a plethora of hard-fought games, it’s safe to say that every team has their eyes on the Thunder heading into their respective matchups.
With this in mind, Oklahoma City’s young core is going to have to work diligently for everything they get, especially while being touted as most promising in the entire league.
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