The Thunder are mere hours away from taking on the Spurs, officially tipping off their 2026-27 season.
San Antonio ended OKC’s season last year, outlasting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co. in seven high-action games. Now, the Thunder have a chance to set the tone for their season on the road.
Despite the likely continued competitiveness between OKC and San Antonio, things will look different on the Thunder’s side. They saw a transformational offseason, sending out three contributors via trade and adding multiple rookies to the team.
Here is the projection for the OKC Thunder’s rotation for opening night:
The starters:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Cason Wallace
Jalen Williams
Chet Holmgren
Isaiah Hartenstein
For the most part, OKC’s starting lineup looks the same. The trio of stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are still the focal point, offering high-octane offense, stingy defense and everything in between.
Isaiah Hartenstein will continue anchoring the five minutes, offering a consistent enforcer that can rebound, provide toughness, score inside and provide connective passing.
The newest addition is Cason Wallace, who is likely to fill in for Luguentz Dort’s lost production. He offers another elite perimeter defender, one who is freshly inked to a brand new $139 million deal.
Fresh off the bench:
Ajay Mitchell
Alex Caruso
Jared McCain
The Thunder have a deep bench, but three players stand alone as options that will be able to come in quickly, and even close games in certain scenarios.
Alex Caruso has long been one of the team’s best defensive players, and has been relied on in big moments all through the championship run and beyond.
Ajay Mitchell was a player that was already impactful last season, and was tagged by General Manager Sam Presti as a player that could be in for another jump this season.
Jared McCain was added mid-season last year, and will carry a bulk of the 3-point shooting load lost by the trades.
In the rotation:
Jaylin Williams
Aday Mara
Bennett Stirtz
Kenrich Williams
Even the Thunder’s back-end rotation holds talent, with proven players like Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams likely to play in the frontcourt.
Rookies in Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz were impressive through the preseason, and it would be surprising if the Thunder didn’t want information on how they look versus a rival in San Antonio.
Outside looking in:
Nikola Topic
Thomas Sorber
Brooks Barnhizer
For now, there’s a few players that aren’t likely to be in the team’s Day 1 rotation. Both Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber, while talented, have missed both Summer League and preseason, and won’t be ramped up for the start of the season.
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