Kevin Durant is a member of the Phoenix Suns now, but that hasn't stopped NBA analyst and former player Matt Barnes from bringing him up in conversation about the 2023-2024 Oklahoma City Thunder.
Led by players like Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the latter a breakout superstar last season, the Thunder have their most talented team in quite some time.
The Thunder find themselves in a unique position in terms of their future draft prospects going forward. This year's team is banking on last year's first rounder Chet Holmgren who is still technically a rookie and appears poised to turn in a Rookie of the Year caliber season, if his recent, insane rejection is any indication.
Barnes, a tough and talented small forward during his playing days in the NBA, said he really likes Oklahoma City this year, to put it mildly.
“I love ‘em!” Barnes said to Brandon ‘Scoop B' Robinson on Brovada's ‘Scoop B Talks' show.
“They got a lot of young talent and the fact that Chet Holmgren is back this year…I love that! Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] one the best scorers in the game, a good young coach and so I’m excited to see what this young core can do.
“It kind of reminds me of not the big huge names that they used to have in Oklahoma City before when they had James [Harden], KD and Russ and Serge [Ibaka] and all those guys.”
Durant led the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals, a losing effort against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.
The Thunder have a 2-3 record so far this preseason, but it's the individual highlights of Holmgren combined with the overall talent and athleticism that has Barnes excited.
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