OKC General Manager, Star Guard Mentioned in Christmas-Time Award Predictions

These two integral parts of the Thunder organization should be in contention for awards come the end of the season.

Sam Presti speaks to the press in Oklahoma City, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

As an impressive season continues for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the opportunities for individual praise of players and members of the organization rise. Two of the most important members of the Thunder organization, general manager Sam Presti and star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, will have as good a shot as any to walk away with an individual award.

Evaluating which general manager has done the best job in a single season and constructing a roster sometimes can be challenging, but right now it doesn't seem like there is much debate that Presti is at the top of the list. Oklahoma City finished at the top of the Western Conference in the 2023-24 season with a 57-25 record, displaying a close-to-finished product with multiple years of stockpiled draft picks coming to fruition. Somehow, after one of OKC's best regular season finishes in recent memory, Presti managed to make this team even better. Because of this, Bleacher Report predicts Presti to be named the Executive of the Year.

Presti's two offseason acquisitions of center Isaiah Hartenstein and guard Alex Caruso are impacting games on a nightly basis. The Thunder general manager signed Hartenstein on the free agency market to a three-year, $87 million deal. After missing the first 15 games of the regular season, Hartenstein molded into the starting center position for OKC. Adding Caruso to the roster took trading away Australian guard Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls, simply swapping the two players. Giddey's having a good season in Chicago and didn't necessarily play badly in Oklahoma City, his play style just didn't fit the OKC offense.

Hartenstein is averaging 12.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game this season, both of which are career highs. Caruso isn't having his best statistical season, scoring only 5.5 points per game this season. His impact never has stood out on the stat sheet, with his defensive intensity and on-ball pressure being his staple. Both players have been important to the early 23-5 record OKC possesses at the top of the west and both were additions led by Presti in the front office. Not to mention, Presti also resigned guards Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to reasonable deals, while also extending Caruso's contract to four years, $81 million.

Gilgeous-Alexander was a part of MVP conversations all of last season and nothing has changed in this one. That being said, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the favorite to be named MVP in the 2024-25 campaign. Arguments exist for both of them, among others, including Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the most recent prediction gives the nod to Jokic.

Jokic currently is averaging 30.9 points, a current career averaging scoring high, 12.5 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists per contest. Both have the statistical profiles to back up an NBA Most Valuable Player Award campaign, but Jokic's all-around statistical performance this season might be what gives him the edge.

That should not discount Gilgeous-Alexander's season so far and, as of now, he is certainly still in the MVP race. He has the Thunder at the top of the conference hunting for a second consecutive one-seed in the NBA Playoffs. If he can do that again, his case for the award might move him ahead if he stays at this same performance level.

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