{"id":109598,"date":"2024-11-29T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=109598"},"modified":"2024-11-28T22:03:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T03:03:20","slug":"the-thunder-set-to-be-gifted-another-star-by-the-76ers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/29\/the-thunder-set-to-be-gifted-another-star-by-the-76ers\/","title":{"rendered":"Thunder Set to Be Gifted Another ‘Star’ by the 76ers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> have overcome significant challenges in the first two months of the season. Despite injuries<\/a> to key big men Chet Holmgren<\/a>, Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a>, and Jaylin Williams<\/a>, the Thunder lead the Western Conference with a 14-4 record. Their league-best defense, boasting a 103.0<\/a> defensive rating, has been the foundation of their success. Yet, the best news of their season so far could be events not even taking place on the team. The Thunder are positioned to benefit from the 76ers’ woes.<\/p>\n

Thunder Set to Be Gifted Another ‘Star’ by the 76ers<\/h2>\n

A Rough Start for the 76ers<\/h3>\n

The 76ers, expected to contend for a championship, have stumbled badly out of the gate. With a 3-14 record, they sit second to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The addition of Paul George<\/a> to a core featuring Tyrese Maxey<\/a> and Joel Embiid<\/a> was supposed to solidify their title hopes. Instead, injuries to George<\/a> and Embiid<\/a> have derailed their campaign.<\/p>\n

The two stars have combined to play just 12<\/a> games, sharing the court only four times. This lack of continuity has led to poor results. Even in the weaker Eastern Conference, their uphill climb to playoff contention looks daunting.<\/p>\n

The Thunder’s Draft Treasure Chest<\/h3>\n

Philadelphia\u2019s struggles could provide Oklahoma City with an unexpected boost. As part of their legendary draft capital collection, the Thunder hold<\/a> the 76ers\u2019 2025 first-round pick. This pick, acquired during the 2020 Al Horford<\/a> trade, could become incredibly valuable.<\/p>\n

Currently projected as the second overall pick, this selection would give the Thunder yet another high-level prospect. The 76ers\u2019 pick is top-six protected in 2025. If it falls in the top six, Oklahoma City will get the pick in 2026 with top-four protections.<\/p>\n

However, with the 76ers floundering and locker room issues reportedly brewing<\/a>, the chances of Oklahoma City claiming the pick this year increase.<\/p>\n

Presti\u2019s Drafting Genius<\/h3>\n

Sam Presti\u2019s track record as a drafter is unmatched. The Thunder have built their roster through shrewd drafting and player development. In recent years, they selected Jalen Williams<\/a> 12th in 2022 and Cason Wallace<\/a> 10th in 2023. Both players have quickly become integral to the team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

Adding another top prospect could further solidify the Thunder\u2019s young core, already one of the league\u2019s most talented. The team\u2019s focus on finding players who fit Mark Daigneault\u2019s system has been critical.<\/p>\n

Building on a Budget<\/h3>\n

Oklahoma City\u2019s success is even more remarkable given their low payroll. They currently have the fifth-cheapest<\/a> cap sheet in the NBA. Despite this, they sit comfortably atop the Western Conference, competing with teams spending significantly more.<\/p>\n

This financial flexibility positions them to retain their current talent while adding future stars through the draft. If the 76ers\u2019 pick conveys, it could accelerate their timeline and strengthen their position as a perennial contender.<\/p>\n

The Sixers\u2019 Uphill Battle<\/h3>\n

Philadelphia still has time to salvage their season. With George and Embiid expected to play more games together, the team could climb the standings. However, the hole they\u2019ve dug may be too deep.<\/p>\n

Even a modest improvement may not prevent the Thunder from claiming their pick. Oklahoma City\u2019s future looks bright, and the 76ers\u2019 misfortune could make it even brighter.<\/p>\n

Thunder Primed to Reap Rewards of Floundering 76ers Season<\/h3>\n

The Thunder\u2019s dominance this season highlights their resilience and talent. Their young core continues to excel, and reinforcements are arriving. Yet their biggest addition may come from Philadelphia\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n

With the 76ers\u2019 2025 pick likely to fall into Oklahoma City\u2019s hands, the Thunder could secure another future star. In Presti\u2019s hands, that pick could become the next key piece in the Thunder\u2019s quest for an NBA title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder have overcome significant challenges in the first two months of the season. Despite injuries to key big men Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams, the Thunder lead the Western Conference with a 14-4 record. Their league-best defense, boasting a 103.0 defensive rating, has been the foundation of their success. Yet, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":109620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,22,13],"tags":[4521,4577,49375,250,4776,4292,993,4609,4049,267,49180,98,605,4745,1382,563,50,49742,544,2478],"class_list":["post-109598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-thunder","category-76ers","tag-2022-nba-draft","tag-2023-nba-draft","tag-2025-nba-draft","tag-al-horford","tag-cason-wallace","tag-chet-holmgren","tag-isaiah-hartenstein","tag-jalen-williams","tag-jaylin-williams","tag-joel-embiid","tag-mark-daigneault","tag-nba-draft","tag-nba-eastern-conference","tag-nba-injuries","tag-nba-trade","tag-nba-western-conference","tag-paul-george","tag-salary-cap","tag-sam-presti","tag-tyrese-maxey"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}