The Oklahoma City Thunder have evidently kickstarted its rebuild. With a Dallas Mavericks loss on Friday night to the Chicago Bulls, the Thunder clinched the No. 10 seed in the Play-in Tournament. The most impressive part? They did it with an average age of 22.8 years old.

Via NBA on ESPN:

Now that's gotta make Luka Doncic and the Mavs feel just absolutely awful about themselves. They traded for Kyrie Irving to link up with Luka and although the two were solid offensively, they were a liability on the opposite end of the floor and it ultimately ended their season.

The Thunder might not be a serious contender at this point, but boy, there is a bright future ahead. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went nuclear in 2022-23, making his first All-Star appearance with averages of 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds. The Canadian is a walking bucket. Then you have the likes of Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, and rookie Jalen Williams who all did their part.

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Will Oklahoma City get past the play-in? It remains to be seen. They will be facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the #9 vs #10 game then need to also beat the loser of #7 vs #8 to actually make the postseason.

Regardless of what happens though, The Thunder are on the right track. Once you add Chet Holmgren into the mix in 2023-24 and some new draft picks this summer, OKC becomes even stronger.

As for the Mavs, well, they can only be disappointed. A bunch of young players out in Oklahoma City just bested them in the play-in race.

Once again, Sam Presti is a genius.