The Oklahoma City Thunder should be the team to watch for in the future. It's not just because they have a load of draft picks in the next coming years. It's also because they have a set of really good and young players this season. Thunder fans themselves have their own fantasies regarding the team's upcoming campaign. So it's only right we share ours. Here are 4 bold predictions for the Thunder in the 2021-22 NBA season.
Thunder Bold Predictions
Lu Dort will be named into the All-NBA Defensive Team
Lu Dort first entered mainstream consciousness for his defensive performance in the 2020 Orlando bubble. He was a rookie back then. But his coach and his teammates trusted him enough to be able to guard James Harden, one of the most potent offensive players in league history. It didn't matter if they lost the series. What matters is that Dort proved that he belongs in the NBA. The undrafted guard out of Arizona State sent a message to teams who passed on him.
Last season, Dort finished 13th place in the 10-man All-NBA Defensive Team pool. This is a clear indication that he's on the radar of the voters. Perhaps the reason why he failed to make it to the team was the Thunder's mediocre 22-50 win-loss record. Winning is all that matters in this league. If your team is piling up W after W, then it'll get attention. This season, the Thunder have all the tools to finally squeeze out a winning record. In turn, Dort's stock will rise enough for him to make it to the All-NBA Defensive Team.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will become an All-Star
Over the summer, Gilgeous-Alexander inked a five-year, $172 million maximum rookie contract extension. It's a money bag he deserves for performing well in his first three years in the league. Last season, he stepped things up a notch by averaging 23.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. These numbers were enough to convince the Thunder front office that Alexander should be their centerpiece.
Now, we can say that the Thunder have an identity as a team. That identity features Alexander at the center. With that said, Thunder fans should see a bunch of offensive sets run by Alexander. The man has turned into an offensive gunner and a playmaker as well. In clutch situations, head coach Mark Daigneault will set up plays for Alexander. In short, Alexander will have tons of opportunities to showcase his talent. There's a pretty good chance he'll show it off more often than not.
Josh Giddey will log in a bunch of triple-doubles
Josh Giddey, the sixth overall pick of the Thunder in the 2021 NBA Draft, proved why he is the real deal. In the preseason, he averaged 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists across 28.9 minutes. There were several games where he had a few rebounds or assists away from recording a triple-double. The preseason was a good preview of what Giddey can do and what type of player he is. He's one of those players whose make and style leans towards doing everything on the floor.
Giddey, who stands 6-foot-8, is a point guard by nature pretty much like Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic or LA Lakers star LeBron James. And just like them, Giddey has exceptional vision and passing abilities. In addition, the fact that he stands 6-foot-8, which is the average height of forwards, makes it relatively easy to snag the rebound. A rebounding point guard opens a lot of opportunities to run the break. Triple-doubles get a lot of attention in today's era. With that said, once Giddey logs in a triple-double (and he will), the whole world will know about it.
The Thunder will qualify for the play-in tournament
At this point, the Thunder are still in the early stages of rebuilding. They have their franchise guy in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who will continue to develop as a player. He's surrounded by fellow young guys in Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Darius Bazley, Aleksej Pokusevski, among others. These players do not bring any fear in their opponents' faces — at least not yet.
Given this reality, the feasible goal for them is to make the play-in tournament. If they do make the playoffs, then that's a good sign of things to come. If they don't, then it's still alright. As most NBA fans know by now, the Thunder have accumulated a ton of draft picks in the next few years. They will have a lot of talent coming in and ample time to shape the roster into a playoff team.
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