Thunder Lessons Learned: 3 Takeaways From OKC's First Preseason Game Against the San Antonio Spurs

Oklahoma City's preseason debut ended with a win over San Antonio, featuring an incredible first impression from Chet Holmgren and back-and-forth offenses.

The first preseason game for The Oklahoma City Thunder came down to the wire. 

The Thunder opened against the San Antonio Spurs, the franchise with one of the NBA's most-anticipated rookies in decades: Victor Wembanyama. The forward had a fantastic 20-point outing, but Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren matched his production with 21 points en route to a 122-121 win. 

It was a high-scoring contest that stayed interesting the entire 48 minutes, but Oklahoma City was able to pull away from San Antonio in the third quarter, which the Spurs could never fully come back from. 

Let's dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday's game.

Malaki Branham floats a layup over Jeremiah Robinson-Earl / Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Chet Holmgren Has Arrived

The biggest storyline heading into yesterday's game was undoubtedly the debuts of rookies Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, the tall and lanky 7-footers who have the potential to be two of the NBA's best players. 

Holmgren's debut was nothing short of brilliant, recording 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds and a block. The center looked comfortable and settled in already, getting to his spots all game with confident shooting. 

The highlight of the night was Holmgren coming off a screen to recieve alley-oop from forward Jalen Williams, where he slammed the ball over Spurs forward Zach Collins emphatically. 

Pick and pop! 💥 pic.twitter.com/y8qECAhd7s

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 10, 2023

It was about as perfect of a debut as Holmgren could have hoped, settling any questions about his health and game for the time being. The pick-and-roll/pop potential was shown to be deadly with the likes of Josh Giddey and Williams, which should only be improved when paired with Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

No SGA, No Problem?

Gilgeous-Alexander was left out of yesterday's contest – as the former MVP candidate has more than proved himself in past seasons – allowing the inexperienced Thunder players to get more playing time. 

Oklahoma City will obviously need Gilgeous-Alexander to be a true contender this season, but the performance without him against San Antonio shows that much of the talent is capable of stepping up in his absence.

While Giddey did not have his greatest offensive showing, he still looked like a confident floor general and primary ball handler. Giddey recorded 10 points and five assists, playing much to the strengths of Holmgren in his standout showing. 

Veterans Luguentz Dort and Davis Bertans – contributing 14 and 12 points respectively – were incredibly important in the Thunder's win. The pair combined for 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, nearly half of Oklahoma City's makes from deep. Having veterans like Dort and Bertans on such a young roster helps guide its youth, especially when its superstar guard is unavailable.

Don't Give Up

Even though Oklahoma City eventually defeated San Antonio, it wasn't easy.

The Spurs scored an absurd 81 points in the first half, outscoring the Thunder by seven. It could have been an effortless second half for Oklahoma City, as Holmgren and Giddey were rested for the entire half, but the team kept fighting.

Oklahoma City's 13-point advantage in the third quarter gave it a big enough lead to keep San Antonio away for most of the 4th, outside of a late offensive surge that ended with a Devonte’ Graham 3-pointer just missing the rim that would have given the Spurs a victory. 

The Thunder win proved its roster isn't one to back down when the game gets rough, which was also demonstrated by the team last season. In the preseason teams usually decrease their effort as the game goes on, but both Oklahoma City and San Antonio treated each other's matchup like a regular season game. 

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Oklahoma City's opening preseason game was a great gauge at what the team could look like this season, even without an appearance from Gilgeous-Alexander. The roster has depth and talent to the end of the bench, and Holmgren showed a ton of progress in what his rookie season impact could look like. 

The Thunder will next play the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:00 p.m. CT in Montreal, Canada. It will be another test against a young team, featuring the likes of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. 

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