Three Things to Watch With OKC Thunder 2024-25 Schedule Set to be Unveiled

The Oklahoma City Thunder will see their 2024-25 regular season schedule released on Thursday, there are three key areas to watch ahead of release day.

Nov 22, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder mascot Rumble the Bison gestures during a time out against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will soon learn their 2024-25 schedule mapping out their 82-game marathon in a season in which everyone expects the organization to be near the top of the NBA standings. With the Thunder holding the second-best odds of winning an NBA championship and the favorites in the Western Conference, their schedule will be announced in full on Thursday afternoon.

So far, the only things known about the Thunder's 2024-25 campaign is that the organization was snubbed for a Christmas Day slot and will open their season on the road against the Denver Nuggets. That leaves plenty of intrigue around schedule release day. With three key things to watch.

How Many Back-to-Back Dates do the Oklahoma City Thunder have?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are poised to be contenders and also enjoy some of the best depth but back-to-backs always present a massive challenge for teams and can work in some scheduled losses even to lesser than team's. Thinking back to last January where even the 57-win Thunder struggled and dropped games they shouldn't have on paper.

Will the OKC Thunder be featured on the lone remaining marquee date?

MLK Day is the last remaining marquee date on the NBA's regular season calendar that has not been revealed. While Christmas Day is the biggest day on the calendar for the NBA, they do not own another date besides MLK Day during the sport's 82-game regular season. An all-day-long basketball affair with National TV littering the calendar.

This would be a great opportunity to showcase the Oklahoma City Thunder on a National stage as one of the most fun teams in the NBA ahead of what is expected to be a deep playoff run.

Josh Giddey's Return to Bricktown

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Josh Giddey with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The NBL star was projected to be a large piece in the Thunder's attempt to complete their contention puzzle.

Instead, with the rise of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, things got awkward for Giddey's fit on the court leading to Oklahoma City pitching him on a bench role that the former lottery pick wasn't fond of heading into a contract year - the two sides split this offseason in a trade that sent the 21-year-old guard to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for defensive ace Alex Caruso.

The OKC Thunder earned an all-defensive member that more seamlessly fits the role they need their two guards to fit, while Giddey earns the keys to a team's offense alongside guard whisperer Billy Donovan ahead of what he hopes will be a massive summer payday in 2025.

Giddey also represents the first of the core to depart from Bricktown in this era - with respect to Tre Mann and Aleksej Pokusevski, no one penciled them into the long-term plans while at times the young ball handler looked to be written in ink - his return to Oklahoma City will create a solid environment instead the Paycom Center for a regular season game.

From a basketball perspective, this is one of the more interesting games of the 82-game marathon seeing how reigning coach of the year Mark Daigneault will elect to defend Giddey after seeing him up close and personal for three seasons.

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