‘We're not competing with our past’: Why Sam Presti Won’t be Hampered by Successes of the Past

Thunder GM Sam Presti has a rich history of success.

It’s hard to ignore history in the NBA.

NBA teams, like most professional sports teams, rely on history and what has worked in the past as a guide to how to find success in the future. But success in the NBA isn’t one-size-fits-all. And for Sam Presti, it is important to know when you’ve done something special — and just how hard it is to replicate.

“To me, a big part -- skill is recognizing when you've been fortunate, and I know we've been very fortunate … If you assign yourself credit for things you probably don't deserve credit for, I could see you maybe having some pressure because you don't really in your heart believe that you can do it again,” The Thunder General Manager said.

The Thunder enter the May 17 lottery with the fourth-best odds — a 48.1% chance of finishing in the Top-4 and a 12.5% chance of getting the first overall selection. This isn’t Presti’s first rodeo, however.

From 2007-09 the Thunder had three consecutive Top-4 picks. Presti and the Thunder came away with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden — the makings of a once-in-a-generation homegrown core.

Three years following the 2009 selection of Harden the Thunder made the first NBA Finals appearance since moving to Oklahoma City in the summer of 2008. OKC ultimately fell to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in six games and traded Harden following the series. Ten years later and the Thunder are back to square one.

OKC’s 2007-09 stretch of selection is arguably the greatest three-year draft run in league history. But Presti doesn’t appear to be concerned with trying to replicate the unreplicable.

“The main thing is Kevin Durant is a basketball god, James Harden is a basketball genius, and Russell Westbrook is a basketball warrior. It's like, I don't know, that happened, but it wasn't because we happened to like bring it out of them,” Presti said. “I think we created an environment where they could be their best selves, and they've all exceeded expectations.”

The Thunder now have a new core with the likes of Shai Gilegous-Alexander, Lu Dort and the 2021 No. 6-pick Josh Giddey. It would be unfair to expect the draft success that came at the end of the 2000s, but Presti believes the process that led to those selections could net OKC with a new wave of success — even if it looks different than the last one.

“Look, I just feel very fortunate, but I know that wasn't like us. We just have to keep applying the same principles and processes that allowed that to happen. But that's probably never going to happen again. That's okay. That was an incredible thing that happened, but we're not competing with our past.”

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