Even though it hasn’t even been two decades since the Oklahoma City Thunder arrived, the NBA champion has had a rich history of contenders. They’re one of the winningest teams since they relocated in 2008 and have been a perennial playoff squad.
The Thunder have had deep playoff runs every other season with an All-NBA representative in most of their years. They’ve had an unreal span of three MVP winners. Sam Presti has enjoyed unprecedented longevity because of his ability to rebuild and fortify championship contenders.
As the Thunder prepare to enter their 18th season, Thunder Wire will conduct top-five positional rankings. Let’s look at center:
5. Kendrick Perkins
Thunder stint (2011-15, 5 seasons): 4.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.9 BPG, 46.3% shooting
Despite the criticisms, Perkins’ longevity and championship pedigree have to count for something. The Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook Thunder finally graduated into a title contender when they acquired him. OKC’s trade with the Celtics landed it title experience in its locker room. He was a starter for five seasons, filled with three Western Conference Finals and an NBA Finals appearance.
Even though Perkins couldn’t deliver on the court, the Thunder trusted him enough not to make any outside additions. He was part of several deep playoff runs. In a battle-tested Western Conference against players like Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Zach Randolph, it was Perkins who took on the difficult assignment of defending them in the paint. He eventually handed his starting job over to a younger Adams, but remained a good locker room leader.
4. Ene Kanter Freedom
Thunder stint (2015-17, 3 seasons): 14.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 56.2% shooting, 28.6% 3-point shooting
Needing to strengthen their depth, the Thunder took a chance when they acquired Kanter Freedom from the Jazz. The bet paid off. He was the best backup center in the NBA during his brief time in OKC. Two seasons of receiving Sixth Man of the Year votes show that. He was the perfect antithesis to Adams. While he struggled on defense, he was a rebound machine who could finish around the basket. Before they went extinct, you could feed him the ball in the post and he could go to work with light feetwork for an easy layup.
The Thunder wouldn’t have beaten the Spurs in the 2016 playoffs without Kanter Freedom. The double-big lineup gave them an upper hand in that series that San Antonio never countered. After Durant left, he was a much-needed scorer that OKC needed in 2016-17 as Westbrook went on to win the MVP award. He was subsequently traded for Carmelo Anthony, but enjoyed success in his short time.
3. Isaiah Hartenstein
Thunder stint (2024-Present, 1-plus seasons): 11.2 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 BPG, 58.1% shooting
Even though Hartenstein has only been on the Thunder for one season, it’s already a resounding success. When he joined OKC, he was the biggest free agent addition in its franchise history. It makes sense, as the small-market team seldom brings in outside talent despite basketball success. After being a career journeyman, he found his footing with the Knicks as a starter. He parlayed that into a huge payday. Now, whether that’s with the NBA champion or not remains to be seen.
Now, Hartenstein should get a bigger payday on his next contract. He enjoyed a career season as the Thunder won an NBA championship. He averaged career highs across the board as a double-double machine who was a starter on a historic 68-win team. OKC also allowed him to show off his secondary playmaking skills with the bench lineup. You could make an argument that he could be as high as second on this list, but longevity isn’t on his side, as he’s only had one year. No matter how historically successful that first season was.
2. Steven Adams
Thunder stint (2003-18, 15 seasons): 9.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.0 BPG, 58.9% shooting
One of the biggest fan favorites, Adams helped the Thunder during their first iteration as a title contender. He was an old-school, bruising starter. Next to Durant, Westbrook and Paul George, he took advantage of plenty of easy looks around the rim. He was the perfect pick-and-roll partner with Westbrook and the recipient of plenty of alley-oops. On the boards, he was a rebound machine. You could argue he was the best offensive rebounder in the 2010s. That’s an undervalued skill most fans don’t appreciate in the moment, but leads to plenty of second-chance looks.
The Thunder needed Adams to be a success story. It didn’t take long to realize he was. Even in his rookie season, his toughness was evident. It was only a matter of time before he became the starting center over Perkins. By his second season, that was his job in OKC for five years. That’s great production and durability from somebody who was a bit of a project at the start. One of the more underrated development success stories in OKC’s history.
1. Chet Holmgren
Thunder stint (2022-Present, 3-plus seasons): 16.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 BPG, 51.9% shooting, 37.2% 3-point shooting
The grand prize of OKC’s recent rebuild. Holmgren helped the Thunder win an NBA championship. Being the third-best player on a title winner is exactly what you hoped for when he was taken with the No. 2 pick of the 2022 NBA draft. Even with all of the bad injury luck and missed time. He’s missed roughly half of his available time in three seasons, but the squeeze is worth the juice. He’s one of the best rim protectors in the league and a plus-minus darling who shows his importance to their defensive domination.
The offense is still a work in progress, but the potential is tantalizing. A seven-footer who drives to the basket and shoots well from the outside is a game-changer. While Holmgren hasn’t had box-score stats to back it up yet, his recent contract extension shows a vote of confidence from OKC that he thinks he could eventually graduate as a scorer. You hope the missed time is just from two freak injuries with no chronic problems. That’s his biggest question mark. But if he can stay healthy, he could easily carve out a path to being an All-Star player and future Defensive Player of the Year winner.