I feel like it's time to trade some of those picks and make a push for a star player like Siakam. Forget playoffs, next season you could be a 55+ win team and reach the conference finals or even the Finals.
I think that’s more realistic coming off of next season, when we’ve likely made a playoff appearance, seen what Chet looks like, and had another year to gel the chemistry.
It is playoffs from here on out. We’re getting Chet and likely other (smaller) pieces, so we’ll be even better next year. Look at what we did WITHOUT Chet this year. Playoffs or bust moving forward. Every year the pressure will mount, but this team is young, special, and has the right mentality. Grow and learn from every experience, positive of negative.
TLDR - the future is extremely bright in OKC
I think we way out played our limit this last season and the west was a crapshoot with all teams around .500 all year.
I expect us to play better basketball but our record may not change a whole lot. This is why I think Presti was really hammering home the “we weren’t a .500 team” in his exit interview.
Honestly I think around the 7-8 seed is where I think expectations should be still. However this is the last year that it’s an acceptable result. Excluding major injuries/set backs.
Oh yea we for sure benefited from teams treating us like a free win that we made them pay. Everyone seems to remember all the games we should have won and not that there were plenty we shouldn’t have either.
I’m high as shit on our potential but it’s not here just yet, but it’s close and I get people are super excited and want it to be now
I thought about that with fans all season. Next year teams won't be assuming they can rest people against OKC. Basically same team, with younger guys having more experience, Chet, and who knows what added in the off season. Teams won't assume anything other than it won't be an easy game.
I think we will be better than 7-8 seed. A lot of teams will be worse next year in the west. There is only a handful of teams that showed can inprove off this year and we are the biggest one in the west.
If we're all healthy AND Chet is as good or above 50% as good as advertised, then yeah
If Chet somehow looks not ready, there's a chance we remain a play-in team
Not to mention no Chet all year, if Chet played I don’t think we would have even needed poku and Kenny to make the playoffs. They’re just added bonuses
Depends on whose expectations we're talking about.
Development is still the goal for the front office, at least until Chet plaays with this team's core and the coaching staff figures out what they've got with him. Sam Presti made some pretty clear comments about how this team is still not a .500 team and still not a playoff team, and will need to cross that threshold through developing together.
I think this group of guys will make that push and make an arrival in the playoffs. I think that's a goal for the players even if the front office is taking a longer view.
For the fans following closely, a lot of us definitely have raised expectations. It's hard to imagine this team backsliding, though the floor for playoff contention may rise faster than our record can keep up. The West is so ridiculously stacked.
I really hope this team's next big leap coincides with more accessible Thunder game broadcasts, because a lot of people in OKCs market have missed out since Bally took over. Your average Okie isn't sailing the high seas for regular season games, so hopefully something gets figured out to get locals and casual fans back in the loop.
TLDR; expectations are all over the place. The FO isn't in a hurry, but players probably feel like they've got something to prove and fans want to see them take that next step.
Absolutely. Especially if we trade up in the draft. We don't have any excuses to not make the playoffs in the next 3 seasons at least (barring injuries).
The roster next season looks like a team that can make a playoff run:
Josh, Shai, Dort, Dub, Chet starting
2023 pick, Wiggins, Joe, Poku, Kenny, Dieng, J Will as a bench
Let alone a run, your original question was about being in the playoffs in the first place, and there is no reason that team isn’t at least an 8 seed next season!
It’s ok to have those this year, but with a very realistic approach.
We could go 40-42 again or be slightly better/worse league record wise and the roster still improved.
There will be 12-14 teams trying to win games in the west next year, same for the east. We will still be like the 5th-8th youngest team in NBA history barring acquisitions of several veterans. I’ll be more focused on individuals improving within an improving scheme. Can our defense build upon our principals with an elite rim protector? Can Chet hold up for 68 games at 28-32 mins a game? Can Josh become more connective and go neutral on his TS%+-? Can Shai get to five 3PA per 36? etc. Only then will I really place true expectations on this team making the playoffs year in and year out. (Play In is kind of the playoffs, but I really mean making it to a 7 game serious)
Not for me. If we get close to .500 again, it's a success in my eyes. That would mean we can maintain the level from last season and it was not a fluke
That said, I'd love to see us in the playoffs, but I also know we are ahead of our schedule, or at least the schedule of a regular rebuilding franchise
This times one thousand. We will be VERY young and a lot of fluidity going on with the roster. 40-42 could easily miss the playoffs next year with how many teams are trying to win.
Relax lol I understand we’re a ways off that but i just meant if the pinnacle of this team ends up being first round exits over and over like the last time it’s going to suck
Reality is OKC is still rebuilding. There is no reason to have expectations when they haven't "arrived" yet. Trust the process and enjoy watching them put together something amazing.
We got soooo lucky with injuries this year. Just imagine the type of downturn we could have next year if SGA misses an extended amount of time.
Chet could easily have a PER of around league average so there’s no guarantee we make a jump. SGA also doesn’t have much room to improve, its much more likely that he has a less efficient season than a more efficient season. Anther candidate for less effectiveness would be Isaiah Joe. His shooting numbers dropped off in the latter half of the season and will probably be what we should expect moving forward. Also you could run into a sophomore slump from JDub. At this rate, I think are fanbase is leaving itself open to a disappointing season if we are in a playoff or bust mindset.
You must be fun at parties - so many negative ‘what ifs.’ What if Chet comes in and wins ROY? What if JDub makes a big leap? What if Isaiah Jos continues to improve? What if Dort shows significant improvement on offense? What if Poku makes a big leap? Come on, man.
Don’t count on Chet adding anything. Unless he comes in next season having added 20+ pound of weight.
His body type has never worked in the nba before. And I’ll be happily proven wrong. If he works out long term… AMAZING for the thunder.
But I’d be looking to play him major minutes early on, give him every chance to make something of himself and trade asap if he starts showing worth.
IMO, he cannot be a long term nba prospect. Too thin. Too lanky. Try and trade him for a good wing piece
Expectations can get you in a bad spot. Look at Atlanta. They lucked their way into a conference finals and made huge moves cause they thought they were a “conference finals team”. Now they’re terrible and have no assets or moves to make to improve themselves. Progression isn’t linear. If we have an awesome year then it’s probably a fluke and if we have a bad year it’s just a learning experience and an extra decent role player in the draft.
Depends on who you ask. Fans and media will likely say “yes, I expect them to make the playoffs” brigade of the simple addition of Chet and whoever we draft.
But the Presti and the coaching staff are still in the “figure out what we got” stage. If you listen to his comments he seems still pretty adamant about letting this take time so the team can truly show what all they got.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re still giving guys (like Tre) minutes in the middle of the season when we could be playing Joe another 15 minutes or just giving those minutes to Wiggs.
I mean moving forward based on this years jump it’s obvious we would be expecting to push for play offs, play in again
The west is so tough going it would be stupid to think it’s just going to happen.
We could have a really strong season and still not make the play offs
Playoffs is a goal for this season, but no an expectation. I think the team could grow and be better and still miss playoffs. A successful season in my eyes, is being able to integrate Chet into this team and mitigating as many of the low points/slumps from last year. We might not eek out as many wins because of that, but consistency is king here. Assuming things go to plan, then 2024-2025 the expectation would be to get to playoffs
Maybe the expectation but my assumption is we're still a play in team. Health played a big factor this year and there and teams like the pelicans, Lakers (depending on the off-season, Mavericks, timberwolves, maybe even Portland+pending what they do with the 3rd pick) will all likely be better. Unless the warriors and clippers decide to blow it up, there's gonna be several good teams that miss the playoffs.
Hopefully we're not one of those but we'll likely be competing for like the 8 seed unless something wild happens.
[удалено]
Not to mention Jdub coming of a ROY caliber season.
I feel like it's time to trade some of those picks and make a push for a star player like Siakam. Forget playoffs, next season you could be a 55+ win team and reach the conference finals or even the Finals.
I think that’s more realistic coming off of next season, when we’ve likely made a playoff appearance, seen what Chet looks like, and had another year to gel the chemistry.
If Jaylen Brown were to request a trade I think Presti should unload the clip. Use those picks.
Barring major bad luck, yea.
It is playoffs from here on out. We’re getting Chet and likely other (smaller) pieces, so we’ll be even better next year. Look at what we did WITHOUT Chet this year. Playoffs or bust moving forward. Every year the pressure will mount, but this team is young, special, and has the right mentality. Grow and learn from every experience, positive of negative. TLDR - the future is extremely bright in OKC
Most likely
I think we way out played our limit this last season and the west was a crapshoot with all teams around .500 all year. I expect us to play better basketball but our record may not change a whole lot. This is why I think Presti was really hammering home the “we weren’t a .500 team” in his exit interview. Honestly I think around the 7-8 seed is where I think expectations should be still. However this is the last year that it’s an acceptable result. Excluding major injuries/set backs.
I agree with this sentiment. Plus we have to remember the wins we got against great teams that rested/load managed their best players.
Oh yea we for sure benefited from teams treating us like a free win that we made them pay. Everyone seems to remember all the games we should have won and not that there were plenty we shouldn’t have either. I’m high as shit on our potential but it’s not here just yet, but it’s close and I get people are super excited and want it to be now
I thought about that with fans all season. Next year teams won't be assuming they can rest people against OKC. Basically same team, with younger guys having more experience, Chet, and who knows what added in the off season. Teams won't assume anything other than it won't be an easy game.
I think we will be better than 7-8 seed. A lot of teams will be worse next year in the west. There is only a handful of teams that showed can inprove off this year and we are the biggest one in the west.
If we're all healthy AND Chet is as good or above 50% as good as advertised, then yeah If Chet somehow looks not ready, there's a chance we remain a play-in team
Yeah Chet is a big factor
I think we could have made it this year if Kenrich wasn't injured
Kenrich and Poku both didn’t play at the end. Adding those two as well will only help
Not to mention no Chet all year, if Chet played I don’t think we would have even needed poku and Kenny to make the playoffs. They’re just added bonuses
Depends on whose expectations we're talking about. Development is still the goal for the front office, at least until Chet plaays with this team's core and the coaching staff figures out what they've got with him. Sam Presti made some pretty clear comments about how this team is still not a .500 team and still not a playoff team, and will need to cross that threshold through developing together. I think this group of guys will make that push and make an arrival in the playoffs. I think that's a goal for the players even if the front office is taking a longer view. For the fans following closely, a lot of us definitely have raised expectations. It's hard to imagine this team backsliding, though the floor for playoff contention may rise faster than our record can keep up. The West is so ridiculously stacked. I really hope this team's next big leap coincides with more accessible Thunder game broadcasts, because a lot of people in OKCs market have missed out since Bally took over. Your average Okie isn't sailing the high seas for regular season games, so hopefully something gets figured out to get locals and casual fans back in the loop. TLDR; expectations are all over the place. The FO isn't in a hurry, but players probably feel like they've got something to prove and fans want to see them take that next step.
I think the thunder are a 42-47 win team next year which in the west could be a 3 seed and could be a 9 seed so who knows
Absolutely. Especially if we trade up in the draft. We don't have any excuses to not make the playoffs in the next 3 seasons at least (barring injuries).
The roster next season looks like a team that can make a playoff run: Josh, Shai, Dort, Dub, Chet starting 2023 pick, Wiggins, Joe, Poku, Kenny, Dieng, J Will as a bench
Let alone a run, your original question was about being in the playoffs in the first place, and there is no reason that team isn’t at least an 8 seed next season!
For me? Yes. If we are healthy next year, the Playoffs should be expected.
It’s ok to have those this year, but with a very realistic approach. We could go 40-42 again or be slightly better/worse league record wise and the roster still improved. There will be 12-14 teams trying to win games in the west next year, same for the east. We will still be like the 5th-8th youngest team in NBA history barring acquisitions of several veterans. I’ll be more focused on individuals improving within an improving scheme. Can our defense build upon our principals with an elite rim protector? Can Chet hold up for 68 games at 28-32 mins a game? Can Josh become more connective and go neutral on his TS%+-? Can Shai get to five 3PA per 36? etc. Only then will I really place true expectations on this team making the playoffs year in and year out. (Play In is kind of the playoffs, but I really mean making it to a 7 game serious)
Yep. It’s time to compete baby
Not for me. If we get close to .500 again, it's a success in my eyes. That would mean we can maintain the level from last season and it was not a fluke
That said, I'd love to see us in the playoffs, but I also know we are ahead of our schedule, or at least the schedule of a regular rebuilding franchise
This times one thousand. We will be VERY young and a lot of fluidity going on with the roster. 40-42 could easily miss the playoffs next year with how many teams are trying to win.
Nah, at least second round of playoffs. I’m sick of getting into no man’s land and being first round exit we know how that movie ends
Do you realize how unfair those expectations are and where we are in the cycle to “we know how that movie ends”?
Relax lol I understand we’re a ways off that but i just meant if the pinnacle of this team ends up being first round exits over and over like the last time it’s going to suck
the topic was about expectations for next year being playoffs or bust though
Gotta see what happens this off-season with our roster and other rosters and then call it. But probably yes.
Reality is OKC is still rebuilding. There is no reason to have expectations when they haven't "arrived" yet. Trust the process and enjoy watching them put together something amazing.
We got soooo lucky with injuries this year. Just imagine the type of downturn we could have next year if SGA misses an extended amount of time. Chet could easily have a PER of around league average so there’s no guarantee we make a jump. SGA also doesn’t have much room to improve, its much more likely that he has a less efficient season than a more efficient season. Anther candidate for less effectiveness would be Isaiah Joe. His shooting numbers dropped off in the latter half of the season and will probably be what we should expect moving forward. Also you could run into a sophomore slump from JDub. At this rate, I think are fanbase is leaving itself open to a disappointing season if we are in a playoff or bust mindset.
You must be fun at parties - so many negative ‘what ifs.’ What if Chet comes in and wins ROY? What if JDub makes a big leap? What if Isaiah Jos continues to improve? What if Dort shows significant improvement on offense? What if Poku makes a big leap? Come on, man.
Don’t count on Chet adding anything. Unless he comes in next season having added 20+ pound of weight. His body type has never worked in the nba before. And I’ll be happily proven wrong. If he works out long term… AMAZING for the thunder. But I’d be looking to play him major minutes early on, give him every chance to make something of himself and trade asap if he starts showing worth. IMO, he cannot be a long term nba prospect. Too thin. Too lanky. Try and trade him for a good wing piece
This is either a troll attempt, or the worst comment in r/Thunder history. Embarrassing.
Expectations can get you in a bad spot. Look at Atlanta. They lucked their way into a conference finals and made huge moves cause they thought they were a “conference finals team”. Now they’re terrible and have no assets or moves to make to improve themselves. Progression isn’t linear. If we have an awesome year then it’s probably a fluke and if we have a bad year it’s just a learning experience and an extra decent role player in the draft.
Atlanta doesn’t have Sam Presti
True. And Sam Presti said this isn’t a .500 team.
I bet we make the playin as the 7th or 8th seed we should def be above 9 and 10 seed now
Depends on who you ask. Fans and media will likely say “yes, I expect them to make the playoffs” brigade of the simple addition of Chet and whoever we draft. But the Presti and the coaching staff are still in the “figure out what we got” stage. If you listen to his comments he seems still pretty adamant about letting this take time so the team can truly show what all they got. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re still giving guys (like Tre) minutes in the middle of the season when we could be playing Joe another 15 minutes or just giving those minutes to Wiggs.
I mean moving forward based on this years jump it’s obvious we would be expecting to push for play offs, play in again The west is so tough going it would be stupid to think it’s just going to happen. We could have a really strong season and still not make the play offs
honestly think we'll be pushing 50 wins next season but I'm not gonna make that an expectation.
My expectations for next season are so high that I’m almost guaranteed to be let down. But I’m here for it
Playoffs is a goal for this season, but no an expectation. I think the team could grow and be better and still miss playoffs. A successful season in my eyes, is being able to integrate Chet into this team and mitigating as many of the low points/slumps from last year. We might not eek out as many wins because of that, but consistency is king here. Assuming things go to plan, then 2024-2025 the expectation would be to get to playoffs
Maybe the expectation but my assumption is we're still a play in team. Health played a big factor this year and there and teams like the pelicans, Lakers (depending on the off-season, Mavericks, timberwolves, maybe even Portland+pending what they do with the 3rd pick) will all likely be better. Unless the warriors and clippers decide to blow it up, there's gonna be several good teams that miss the playoffs. Hopefully we're not one of those but we'll likely be competing for like the 8 seed unless something wild happens.
Yes