Are the OKC Thunder EVEN BETTER? | SGA Wins Another Award | Previewing Road Trip

Are the OKC Thunder EVEN BETTER? | SGA Wins Another Award | Previewing Road Trip

Oklahoma City Thunder tie franchise-best 7-0 start despite mounting injuries. Can they survive the West Coast gauntlet?

The Thunder maintain the league’s best defensive rating while missing key rotation players including Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Alex Caruso at various points. Rylan Styles and Justin Martinez from The Oklahoman break down how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Player of the Week performance, Ajay Mitchell’s Sixth Man of the Year candidacy, and Kayson Wallace’s franchise-record 18 steals through six games have fueled this historic start.

The discussion covers Oklahoma City’s challenging five-game road trip through Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento, and Memphis, analyzing matchups against Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers and Domantas Sabonis’s Kings. Martinez offers insider perspectives on whether this roster has actually improved over last year’s championship team through internal development rather than roster changes, highlighting Chet Holmgren’s offensive evolution and Isaiah Hardenstein’s playmaking consistency.

Discover why the Thunder’s sustainable model of hitting on late draft picks like Brooks Barnhizer could keep their championship window open longer than expected.

0:00 Intro
1:08 Travel to LA and Chili’s skillet queso
2:09 Will Thunder go 8-0 to start season?
4:25 Clippers matchup and role player importance
6:06 Jalen Williams injury timeline and impact
7:15 Thunder’s resiliency through adversity and injuries
11:56 Road trip logistics and trap games
15:44 NBA Cup thoughts and court designs
19:13 Sacramento Kings matchup and roster construction
20:52 Road trip predictions: 3-1 record
24:15 Is this Thunder team better than last year?
28:43 Chet Holmgren’s offensive development opportunity
30:41 Underrated storyline: hitting on draft picks
34:37 Where to follow Justin’s coverage

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