Thunder Mailbag: A Perfect Start

Answering the three best questions submitted to this week’s mailbag.

Oct 27, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) dunks in front of Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

With a perfect record to start the season at 3-0, the Oklahoma City Thunder have looked nothing short of a contender thus far. With another slate of winnable games ahead, the Thunder will play its fourth game of the 2024-25 campaign on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs.

Even with how good Oklahoma City has been, there's still much improvement to be had. The Thunder defense has been elite, but the offense has struggled tremendously at times. Once both sides of the floor come together, this will be an extremely difficult team to beat.

Let’s answer the three best questions that were submitted for this week’s mailbag:

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Why is Mark Daigneault Changing the Starters Every Game?

The Thunder leans into data and analytics pretty heavily when it comes to lineups. As such, there’s a need early in the season to try as many different things as possible. Not only is Oklahoma City good enough to try different starters and play deep rotations while still winning, but it’s an important part of the process in determining the best strategy longer term and into the playoffs. It’s a data collection exercise. 

What’s More Likely: Chet Holmgren All-NBA or Jalen Williams All-Star?

I’m going with Jalen Williams earning an NBA All-Star nod, but only because All-NBA is such a prestigious and exclusive honor. Chet Holmgren has been phenomenal this season so far, but being voted as a top-15 player when he already plays next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be tough. Williams is by no means a lock to play on All-Star Sunday Night, but it seems more likely than the previously discussed scenario with Holmgren. 

Why is Oklahoma City’s Offense So Bad Thus Far?

It truly comes down to 3-point shooting. The ball movement, offensive fluidity, scheme and shot quality have all been positive through three games. But the Thunder — who was the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooting team — is among the worst in the league thus far from distance. It’s process over results, so expect OKC to make little to no change to the offensive strategy and approach. The shots will fall with the shooting upside the individual members of this roster have. 

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Note: Questions may be paraphrased in order to group or aggregate similar submissions.

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