The Greatest Rebuild Of All Time Is Happening Right In Front Of Our Eyes

             The Oklahoma City Thunder currently stand at 14-7, 2nd place in the Western Conference, with a point differential of (+7.2). This just so happens to also be the 3rd best point differential in the NBA, only behind the Celtics and Timberwolves. So what is it about this Thunder rebuild that makes it remarkable? Well, for that, we have to travel all the way back to the summer of 2019. The No. 6 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder were set to match off against the No. 3 seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Quarterfinals in a series that was highly anticipated. The Thunder were still led by their long-tentured all star, Russell Westbrook, and also had an MVP finalist, as well as a D-POY finalist in Paul George on his side. The Thunder were locked and loaded with aspirations of a title in the rear view mirror, and the first team in their way was Portland. Going down 2-0 in the first two games in Portland wasn't ideal for Billy Donovan and his OKC squad, however they would bounce back in game 3 with a hard fought victory. Game 4 was different however, and in game 5, the Trail Blazers would ultimately slay the dragon, defeating the Thunder in 5 short games.

            With no hope or clear path forward, GM Sam Presti was left with one decision. This decision was a very tough one to make, considering that the squad they have assembled currently is title contending. However, in a gutsy move, Sam Presti would trade away his MVP and D-POY candidate, Paul George, away to the Los Angeles Clippers in return for a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danillo Gallinari, and 5 first round picks. The Clippers, with aspirations at a title, would see this trade as a win, as they were focused on the present, rather than the future. The Clippers got their man to pair with Kawhi Leonard, and so did the Rockets, acquiring Thunder star Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul and picks. The Thunder now in a "rebuilding state", stood at a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs at the start of the season. Not only did they make it, they were the 5 seed, and took the Houston Rockets 7 games before falling to them in the first round of the playoffs. With this young Thunder team exceeding expectations, it gave Sam Presti an idea of who he wanted to move forward with as the core of the rebuild. Those two guys would be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luguentz Dort. Hence, he shipped off Steven Adams, Danillo Gallinari, Chris Paul, Dennis Shroeder and more for picks and pick swaps. 

            Headed into the 2020-21 season, there was little optimism, and for a reason. The Thunder finished with a dreadful 22-50 record, 14th in the Western Conference just ahead of the Houston Rockets. The Thunder would ultimately finish with the 6th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, where they would draft the 6'8" Australian guard, Josh Giddey from the Adelaide 36ers. This season consisted of growth from the young guys, and a couple good team morale wins to keep the group energized. The 2021-22 season would be slightly better record wise for this Thunder team, however, that wasn't what they wanted, they wanted high draft picks to put along side the young core they already have. Oklahoma City would finish 24-58, and would receive the 2nd overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft with a bit of luck in the lottery on their side. With the 2nd pick, the Thunder would select the 7'1" Freshman unicorn from Gonzaga, Chet Holmgren. Later in that same draft, the Thunder would stay in the West Coast Conference drafting Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara 12th overall. 

            The 2022-23 season for OKC was much different however. Chet Holmgren would unfortunately never play a game throughout this season due to a foot injury, sidelining him and delaying his rookie season until 2023-24. That didn't matter though for this squad, as it was finally all coming along. Jalen Williams finished 2nd in the ROTY race, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved to be the guy going forward, averaging just over 30ppg, and earning his first All-NBA First Team recognition. The Thunder would finish 10th in the Western Conference sitting at 40-42. OKC would face the Pelicans in the 9 vs 10 Play-In game, in which the Thunder would dismantle New Orleans on their home floor. Although they would get beat by the Timberwolves in the final Play-In game that year, it proved to be an amazing year for OKC, and they seemed to be years ahead of the rebuild schedule. 

            Fast forward to the present, the 2023-24 season, OKC currently sits at 14-7, with only bigger ambitions of title. With a healthy Chet Holmgren, the team would find their big 3 of the future, and it gives off Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook vibes from back in the day. Jalen Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chet Holmgren are the future of this squad, and things are only getting starting in Oklahoma City. With tons of draft capital and salary cap money remaining, the Thunder control their own destiny, it's only a matter of time until another star player is playing in Oklahoma City through a blockbuster trade, and when it happens, the Thunder are going to be up there with the title favorites.