Thunder projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Oklahoma City Thunder starting power forward: Jalen Williams
OKC surprised a fair amount of folks with the decision to select Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara with the No. 12 pick in last year’s draft. Well, flash forward 13 months and the Thunder look like geniuses. Williams finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after ascending at an astronomic rate over the second half of the season. He looks the part of a future All-Star.
The Thunder will continue to lean heavily on Williams’ Swiss Army knife capabilities at the “four” spot. At 6-foot-7, Williams is far more of a traditional wing. That said, Dort is the shortest player in OKC’s starting five and simultaneously the strongest. The Thunder are better suited to switching 1-5 than most teams with Holmgren in the mix. Williams will guard all over the floor and he proved himself capable of doing so as a rookie. It’s not common to find 20-somethings in their first NBA season who can defend at Williams’ level, much less 20-somethings who averaged 14.1 points on 60.1 TS% on the other end.
OKC is the perfect incubation chamber for Williams, an explosive driver and finisher who can attack rotating defenses on the receiving end of passes from two of the NBA’s most talented creators. SGA and Giddey will occupy the front of every defender’s mind; Williams can cut backdoor, splash open 3s, or split the seams with his thundering downhill forays and acrobatic finishing skill.
Primary backup power forward: Aleksej Pokusevski
Aleksej Pokusevski, the No. 17 pick from the 2020 NBA Draft, was off to a tremendous start last season before he ran headfirst into injury woes. He ended up starting 20 of 35 appearances and spending a decent chunk of his late-season return in the G-League.
It was always going to take Poku longer than your typical first-round pick to make a consistent impact. He’s a 7-footer with movement shooting skills, fluid handles, and legitimate shot-blocking upside. He makes a handful of eye-popping plays with his athleticism every night that make you see stars. Then, he’ll come down the floor on the next possession and dribble carelessly into a wall of defenders or throw a behind-the-back pass to the opponent. He’s a mess, but a beautiful mess with a very clear path to sustainable NBA production. It’s a matter of how quickly he can get there and if NBA teams (or, OKC specifically) are patient enough to wait him out.
Poku ended up with season averages of 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks on .434/.365/.629 splits in 20.6 minutes per game. It wasn’t always perfect, but it’s wise to invest in Poku stock while it’s low. Business could be booming when he’s 100 percent in year four.