The Oklahoma City Thunder took a massive leap forward in the 2023-2024 season, even making a surprise playoff run. While they came up short of the Finals, the team succeeded beyond everyone’s wildest dreams and is in a perfect position to compete for championships soon. To put themselves in the best possible position to win, the front office should look to round out the Thunder roster in NBA free agency with undervalued 20-year-old restricted free agent Emoni Bates.
The Thunder have put on a clinic in roster-building
General manager Sam Presti has done an admirable job of building a talented, deep, and complementary roster in Oklahoma City. The franchise is anchored around two cornerstone players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.
Gilgeous-Alexander is a dynamic perimeter player, a three-level scorer who can efficiently create for himself and others. Meanwhile, Holmgren is an elite big man who fits the modern game perfectly. A tall and relatively slender but mobile player, Holmgren can hold his own in the paint and gobble up rebounds but he is also more than capable of stepping out to the three-point line and draining open shots from beyond the arc.
Beyond their two stars, OKC's roster is littered with other talented players who fit nicely around the team's two stars. Jalen Williams is an aggressive defender who constantly wreaks havoc and creates chaos that forces opponents into costly turnovers.
Williams is a ball of energy on both ends of the court, but this trait especially stands out on defense. Williams relentlessly fights through screens and sticks with his man. He can often be seen going for a block, altering the opposing player’s shot, forcing a miss, tracking down the rebound, and kickstarting Oklahoma City's offense.
The Thunder could stand to improve on the wing while adding at least one more high-ceiling player. A big three is essentially required to win in today's NBA, and the Thunder currently have a big 2.5. SGA and Holmgren form a dynamic 1-2 punch, while Williams anchors the defense and serves as an adequate third scorer at the offensive end.
The young wing has shown shotmaking and creation upside, and he could absolutely develop into a third star. This would be the ideal case but an insurance policy is never a bad idea. If OKC adds an insurance policy and Williams pans out offensively, they could even potentially end up with a Big Four.
Emoni Bates would be a great fit with the Thunder
Emoni Bates played last season on a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he's a restricted free agent this summer. Once highly regarded as a potential first-overall draft pick, Bates has largely been forgotten, but that doesn't mean his talent has evaporated.
To start with, Bates has the physical tools that teams dream about. He’s a 6-foot-8 wing with capable ballhandling skills and above-average shooting. Bates also has a high release point on his jump shot, consistently creating open looks even when he is tightly defended.
The art of being open when covered
In basketball, just like in football, there is the concept of being open even when you are covered. It is exceedingly rare for a player to possess that trait, and when somebody does it's usually a ticket towards superstardom.
Think about Calvin Johnson in the NFL: He was a receiver who was stronger and faster than almost any defensive back. That means even if a defender did everything perfectly, Johnson was still positioned to outmuscle them and come down with the football.
For a basketball comparison of a player who has a similar style to Bates, look at Michael Porter Jr. or even Kevin Durant. To be clear, it's unlikely Bates will ever reach Durant's level and even ending up as a Michael Porter Jr. clone would be a great outcome. The talent is not the point of the comparison, though. The important part is the player archetype that Bates brings to the table.
As great of a scorer as Durant is, his shotmaking and efficiency might not be his most important attribute. Rather, an argument can be made that the most important thing Durant brings to his team is the ability to create a good look at any time.
This is because he's one of those players mentioned above who is open even when they are covered. Because of his height and high release point, Durant can get a shot off in any situation and have a reasonably good look at the rim.
To be clear, Bates’ potential and player archetype does not make him a surefire star. Mikal Bridges has a lot of the same offensive traits, particularly in terms of height and release point. Even with those traits, Bridges struggled somewhat as the number one scoring option in Brooklyn and saw a slight decrease in efficiency.
The perfect contract the Thunder must offer free agent Emoni Bates
Because Bates is in restricted free agency, the Cavaliers can match any offer sheet he receives. This means that OKC may have to slightly overpay, but Cleveland has never really made Bates a priority. Anything in the $3 million to $5 million range for 2-3 years should be enough to call Cleveland’s bluff and get Bates to the Midwest.
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