The Oklahoma City Thunder finished as the first seed in the Western Conference during the 2023-24 season. It was a huge surprise considering the average roster age of 23.8 years made them the second youngest roster in the league. However, their inexperience was evident in the playoffs as the Dallas Mavericks ended their campaign in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
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On that note, ESPN analyst Tim Legler declared that the Thunder’s 2025 playoff success hinges upon their frontcourt of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
On NBA Today, Malika Andrews asked Legler if the Thunder are the front-runners to finish at the top of the West during the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Legler said that securing the #1 seed would not be a priority for squads like the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Dallas Mavericks as their eyes will be set on the postseason. This can open up an avenue for the Thunder to nab the #1 seed again.
However, Legler wasn’t confident about their playoff success. He believes that 23-year-old Jalen Williams and 22-year-old Chet Holmgren are still a year or two removed from operating as Championship-caliber players.
Their youth showed in the 2024 playoffs against the Mavericks as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was pretty much left alone to do the heavy lifting.
Therefore, both Williams and Holmgren will need to become much more dependable options for the Thunder to become a formidable postseason side. Legler said,
“I think their core, their next guys besides Shai need to get a little bit more ripe. I’m talking about of course [Jalen] Williams and Chet Holmgren. Those guys now have to show that they can do this for an extended playoff run…”
“Those guys I think are maybe a year or two away from being what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs next to him to make a legitimate run through the Western Conference,” he added.
While Legler is correct about the Thunder’s lack of experience in the playoffs, neither Williams nor Holmgren showed a huge drop-off during the postseason. Williams put up 17 points per game in the WCSF compared to 19.1 PPG in the regular season. However, he did shoot just 42% from the floor compared to his 54% in the Regular Season.
Meanwhile, Holmgren tallied 15.8 points in the WCSF series compared to 16.5 points per game in the Regular Season. Overall, he shot an impressive 51.2% but drained just 22.2% of his three-pointers, which made a huge difference in the end.
With little tweaks, both Williams and Holmgren can sustain their Regular Season rhythm in the postseason. But for the young Thunder team, sustaining momentum can be a huge challenge.
However, the addition of Alex Caruso has provided a missing perimeter lockdown dimension to the squad. They are set to have another riveting season if they stay healthy.
