OKC wins opener - could the Thunder be even better this year?

Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor is joined by Andrew Sharp to discuss Oklahoma City’s double-overtime win over the Rockets to open its title defense – and why the team showed signs it may be even more dangerous this season. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

It was an amazing, amazing first game of the night, and I think one of my main takeaways is on the OKC side.

We see no Jaylen Williams.

Chad Holmgren just couldn’t miss at the start of the game, 28, 7, and 2.

Cason Wallace had 14, 7.5, and 4 steals.

He looked like he improved.

Taking a 3-year leap.

AJ Mitchell, who we saw play in the finals for OKC during his rookie season, had 16 points in the game, he looked more like the guy who is a star in college.

And I come away from this game wondering, Andrew, could Oklahoma City be even better this season?

Yeah, I mean, it’s funny because obviously they’re going to have that depth, which most of the league just doesn’t have.

I did find myself thinking back to some of the shakier playoff games they had last year where you look out there and there just aren’t very many offensive weapons that scare you.

There were long stretches of this game where I was like, well, where is OKC’s offense going to come from and how many of these guys do I trust offensively?

Um, and obviously that’s without Jaylen Williams and without JWub; they’re a different team.

Chet though, if Chet gets much better, um, like 15 to 20% better than what we saw a year ago, then yeah, they’re definitely going to have a higher ceiling offensively and they’re going to be just as scary defensively.

Last year’s playoffs, he had his moments, but he wasn’t necessarily leading the charge.

It was really all about Shay and JDub.

But if he becomes the sort of guy who’s like really part of the big three there, they are going to be very, very scary all year.

This is why I’m done fighting reality with the Thunder.

It is a budding dynasty.

It is what it is.

I mean, definitely, I mean, has the potential to be a budding dynasty.

And I think, you know, you see this young 68-win team that goes all the way and wins the finals.

I’m not saying they’re going to win 70, but they’re definitely like, sometimes you do, as you said, wonder where’s the offense coming from.

They didn’t shoot well in game one of the season, but this team has so many lanes to get better over the course of the year and that’s where like the dynasty potential talk is pretty obvious and self-explanatory with OKC.

OKC wins opener – could the Thunder be even better this year?

Tags: