It’s been an adventurous start to the preseason for the Oklahoma City Thunder. After a short three-month offseason, the NBA champion packed up their exhibition slate with six games in less than two weeks.
To start, the Thunder had a road back-to-back. Adding to the weirdness, they were both at non-NBA venues. The first was a blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets in South Carolina on Sunday. The second was a blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Fort Worth, TX, on Monday.
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After a couple of days off, the Thunder will get a chance to play in front of their home fans. They will face the Hornets in a preseason matchup on Thursday, Oct. 9. It will be the first time fans will be allowed in Paycom Center since they won Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
That means Brooks Barnhizer will get his first chance to play in front of an OKC crowd. The two-way rookie will be the only player afforded that luxury. Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic are out with injuries.
Barnhizer has had a positive preseason so far. His defensive motor has been endless, even with a questionable jumper. The 23-year-old is excited to play at home after he was taken with the No. 44 pick of the 2025 NBA draft out of Northwestern.
“It’ll be amazing. The only time I’ve been in there is Media Day, so I haven’t been in there for a game or anything yet, so it’ll be a really cool experience,” Barnhizer said. “I can’t wait to get there and play in front of our fans for the first time.”
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It’s always cool to see NBA rookies play in front of their home crowd for the first time. Even with the caveat that it’s a preseason game. Barnhizer continues to adjust to the NBA lifestyle. A road back-to-back is quite a nose-dive into his new world after being in college.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Brooks Barnhizer on playing in front of Thunder fans for first time