Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Western Conference Finals between Oklahoma City and San Antonio feature two of the NBA's top bench units.
- Both teams rely on young, high-impact reserves who could swing critical moments without their stars.
- How key bench players perform in clutch situations may ultimately determine the series outcome.
“Chet versus Wemby!” (ooooh aaaaah) “Shai versus Castle!” (wooooooooow) “Champagnie versus Hartenstein!” (confused looks around the theatre followed by obligatory applause)
The 2026 Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs might be the most hyped series in a decade, and is a real passing-of-the-torch moment for the league; no LeBron James, no Stephen Curry, no Kevin Durant, and yet we’re all absolutely locked in. Incredible matchups abound, with the league’s most tantalizing young superstar squaring off with the back-to-back MVP for the belt of “face of the NBA.” It is not hyperbole to say the winner of this series can claim that title.
The Spurs and Thunder have the two best second units in the NBA
But there’s more to a person than their face, and the various limbs, hair follicles, musculoskeletal features and beautiful expressions of the soul make up the rest of the basketball teams we are so excited to watch. With Jalen Williams returning to the lineup for Game 1, apparently-the-best-player-in-the-league Ajay Mitchell will probably hit the bench, meaning we are going to have Ajay Mitchell versus Dylan Harper off the bench. Someone call the feeling blessed department, I’d like to file a claim.
Here’s the tale of the tape: provided you accept my formulation that the Golden State Warriors were low-key trying to tank all year but failed, the Spurs and Thunder were first and second in bench scoring among non-tanking teams. The Spurs had the Sixth Man of the Year (my least favorite award, but good for this argument) Keldon Johnson, but he’s still the undercard next to potential-superstar (Hall of Famer? All-time great?) Dylan Harper coming off the bench because he’s uh … 20 years old. Yep, we have 20-year-old x-factors in the Western Conference Finals.
I have already extolled the virtues of Ajay Mitchell, but if he actually moves to the bench he would immediately become the most overqualified bench-guy I can remember in a playoff run; he’s averaging 18.8 points-per-game and can run the best offense in the NBA on his own already. But he also hasn’t faced off against San Antonio’s incredible defensive guards, barely playing in their five matchups this year.
The Thunder are built around bench flexibility, but the Spurs will need specific contributions
The Thunder are built to survive and thrive through stretches without their stars on the court. We got Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams, Jared McCain and Cason Wallace just … hanging. Meanwhile, Aaron Wiggins and Kenrich Williams don’t even play. The Spurs, meanwhile, run specific pieces off the bench for specific reasons; we of course have Harper and Johnson, but also Luke Kornet and Carter Bryant, who present pretty-very-super-majorly important size for San Antonio to support Victor Wembanyama. Kornet’s play in particular will be essential, as while the Spurs will almost-certainly lose the non-Wemby minutes, they cannot lose them by that much and hope to win this thing.
Then there’s an interesting bench consideration: Harrison Barnes. Not because he will play (he basically hasn’t in these playoffs) but because of the grace he showed in ceding his role to Julian Champagnie, a much better shooter who changed the Spurs’ destiny in the middle of the season when he slotted into the starting lineup. Sometimes it’s not who plays on your bench, but who is and isn’t starting. Not be discounted either: Barnes is a grizzled playoff basketball player, and he and Kornet are the only things this Spurs team has resembling championship experience.
Look, I love Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I love Wembanyama, and Stephon Castle and Chet Holmgren and all the main storytellers of this cinematic series. But would anyone be surprised if this series comes down to whether or not Dylan Harper outduels Alex Caruso? Or if Ajay Mitchell can get to the rim in crunch time? Because I know what I’m going to get from the big names; what’s everyone got?
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