In a recent podcast appearance, Oklahoma City Thunder star big man Chet Holmgren gave the team’s general manager — Sam Presti — his flowers.
Chet Holmgren on Sam Presti:
“This motherf***** is so light years ahead of where I am.
I don’t even think or worry about what he’s doing. I’m like, ‘he’s gonna get this sh*t right.. let me get my sh*t right.”
(@RoadTrippinPod) pic.twitter.com/q0xOXGaUHa
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) July 17, 2024
The Thunder are fresh off a very promising 2023-24 campaign. The team finished the regular season with a 57-25 record — which was tied with the Denver Nuggets for the best of any team in the Western Conference — and won its first playoff series when it eliminated the New Orleans Pelicans in four games in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Plus, the Thunder have a young core that seemingly has the team in an optimal position to contend in the Western Conference for years to come.
After all, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein are all 26 or younger at this point in time.
But Gilgeous-Alexander stands out as arguably the team’s most talented player right now. The 26-year-old established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate in his sixth NBA season, considering he averaged 30.1 points on 53.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from deep while also contributing 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in the 2023-24 regular season.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in the league’s MVP voting behind only Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who has a whopping three MVP awards to his name.
Presti dealt for Gilgeous-Alexander in the summer of 2019 in a trade that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers. The trade debatably didn’t age great for the Clippers, as the team never reached an NBA Finals during George’s five-season stint in Los Angeles and made the Western Conference Finals just once.
Earlier in the 2024 offseason, George made the decision to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, as he agreed to a four-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers worth more than $200 million.
It will be exciting to see how the Thunder and their youthful nucleus will build upon their auspicious 2023-24 season when the upcoming 2024-25 campaign commences.
