Joe Paige | Sports Editor
After a four-year hiatus from the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder will return the postseason for the first time since 2020. Currently sitting atop the Western Conference, this team has overachieved with their collection of young talent, all playing with great chemistry between each other. Oklahoma City will head to Madison Square Garden on Sunday night to face the New York Knicks, where they hope to secure a win that can clinch their position in playoffs.
As the second youngest team in the association, the Thunder are led by their franchise point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to elevate his game and is making a strong case to win MVP this year. Alongside him in the starting lineup are a mix of young players who each have multiple layers to their games, players like Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, are unselfish but aren’t afraid to step up their level of play when needed.
Most notably Thunder center Chet Holmgren, after missing the entirety of the last season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, he's quickly made a name for himself as he’s currently having a historic rookie season. Holmgren’s unique skillset of shot creation and defensive prowess has shown be to quite effective for him at the next level. Last month Holmgren became the first rookie in NBA history to total both 150+ blocks and 100+ 3-pointers made in a season. While this years’ rookie of the year vote might’ve already been decided by many, what Holmgren has shown in his rookie season is certainly something not to overlook.
For an Oklahoma City Thunder franchise who have been in a rebuilding phase for the past few years, they just might find an opportunity to get ahead of schedule and make a deep run in the playoffs. While the western conference may be shaping up to be even tougher than it was last season, the Thunder certainly have what it takes to upset any other contender.
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