LAS VEGAS — The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the Las Vegas Summer League on a two-game winning streak after going 2-1 in Salt Lake City earlier in the week. No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren put on a show in his NBA debut, recording 23 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and four assists in a win over the Utah Jazz.
The next game was rookie (and No. 12 pick) Jalen Williams, who had 16 points, three rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. In the final game before heading to Vegas, second-year point guard Josh Giddy made one of the best dunks of the summer so far when he jumped over his opponent in a pick-and-roll scheme and put Malik Ellison on a poster.
This is all very promising for a young team that has won a total of 46 games over the past two seasons. Holmgren was the prized pick in the 2022 NBA draft, but don’t overlook the other players they selected — No. 11 pick Ousmane Dieng (6-foot-10, 7-foot wingspan), No. 12 pick Williams (6-6, 7 -2 wingspan) and No. 34 pick Jaylin Williams (6-10, 7-1 wingspan). All four are long, athletic playmakers who can slide between different positions.
“It might not be this year because this group has to figure out how to play together, but the Thunder will be one of the best defensive teams in the league,” one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “While everyone was distracted with where the other guys fell, Sam Presti put together a group of players who are 6-foot-6-plus, can pass and have a lot of athleticism. Every one of them. And you will place them together with Gidi, [Shai] Gilgeous-Alexander and [Lu] Dort? Ridiculous.”
Giddy, a 6-8 point guard from Australia, was the first piece of the puzzle in the 2021 draft when the Thunder took him with the sixth overall pick (they also added guards Tre Mann, Aaron Wiggins and forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl). This past season, Giddy was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for three straight months before being sidelined in February with a hip injury.
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Giddy returned to the court for the Utah Summer League for the first time in four months and looked comfortable alongside his new teammates. Holmgren consistently found the right spot out of the pick-and-pop, and Giddy found his rhythm creating for others when entering the lane or advancing the ball in transition. Last season, Giddy averaged 6.4 assists per game in just over 50 games. During the three games in Utah, Giddy gave up 28 dimes, leaving fans impressed with his crafty work in the lane.
Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddy during a Salt Lake City Summer League game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on July 5, 2022. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
“It felt good to get back on the court and play with these new guys on the team,” Giddy said after his first match. “This is our first game together and we’ve discovered little things and the more we play it will grow and grow and everything we come up with now in this short time is just a bonus.”
NBA personnel tuned into the first few games were more than impressed with the way Giddy, still just 19 years old, took command of this young team as the floor general for the Thunder.
“The way Giddy controls so much space with the ball in his hands frees up everyone else on the court,” another NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “It’s going to be tough for those Summer League teams to stop ball movement with those guys seeing the defense and the way Giddy gets into the paint.”
In the first three games in Salt Lake City, what was most impressive wasn’t the incredible passes or flashy finishes at the rim, but the impact on defense. The Thunder wreaked havoc as they shot the gaps, went all-in and blocked shots everywhere with Holmgren and 7-foot-1 Aleksej Pokusevski in the paint.
“I’m very excited and it’s a special group of guys and I’m looking forward to what we can build,” Giddy said. “I can’t wait for training camp as we step things up to start the season.”
Adding veteran players to this group during training camp will only enhance the early flashes of defensive versatility with Dort as one of the league’s best young defenders and a healthy Gilgeous-Alexander in the backfield with Giddy.
The Thunder still have a remarkable 38 draft picks (19 in the first round and 19 in the second) over the next seven years, something no other team has ever done. There’s plenty of freedom and opportunity as general manager Sam Presti continues to build something special from the ground up.
With so many future draft picks, many wonder if Oklahoma City will try to contend again next season with French phenom Victor Wembanyama and G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson waiting in the 2023 NBA Draft.
“We just want to be better than last year,” Giddy said. “As long as we keep improving and getting better and better, I think whether it’s the playoffs or not, we’re going to be good. We have a really hard-working group of guys and I can’t wait to see where everyone is ready and get the season started.”
Many teams already make moves every year to put the franchise in a favorable position for the next year’s draft.
The Jazz traded Rudy Gober and Royce O’Neal and picked up five first-round picks and a trade of picks in the process. The San Antonio Spurs had three picks in the first round and picked up young, experienced players to potentially hole up in the G League and develop. When talking with scouts around the league in Las Vegas, many believe the Spurs are positioning themselves to compete for a top-5 pick next season. The Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets are two other teams still in the rebuilding phase.
That leaves the Thunder. With all the draft picks they have (including one first-round pick and two second-round picks next year), the Thunder don’t necessarily want another key player to add to this young, talented team. Only one team will land Wembanyama, the touted prospect who could be a generational talent. Only one. It may not be worth the effort to sit players and disrupt the growth and chemistry this current group can build.
The day after Holmgren was drafted, he immediately called Giddy and wanted to get into the gym as soon as he arrived in Oklahoma City. The two did a practice session and ended up playing one-on-one.
“He hit it off with me right away and wanted to get in the gym when he came into town, and from that moment on I knew we were going to have a special talent,” Giddy told Yahoo Sports. “We started going one-on-one and I knew it was going to be a handful of guys to guard him. He may look weak, but he is strong and strong with the ball in his hands. guard and big, the guard has the edge but he can sit back and defend and yes he won the first game one on one.
“I can’t wait to keep playing with him and we’re both first team players and we want to win.” What we build here is going to be special.”
With Giddey already opening up the floor space at Summer League and finding Holmgren, Pokuszewski, Williams or anyone else on the team, it’s hard to imagine the front office closing things down to hinder the development of this dangerous, young team. The Thunder have quietly mapped out the future of the franchise right under everyone’s noses, and it’s only a matter of time before everything starts to fall into place on the court.
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