The 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder season is coming soon and WWLS The Sports Animal was live from Media Day inside Paycom Center.
Thunder Radio Network hosts Gideon Hamilton and Matt Ravis spoke with players and Head Coach Mark Daigneault as the team heads into training camp.
Preview from Thunder Radio Network host Matt Ravis
Expectations mean everything in life. Looking forward to a Michelin star dining experience, and what you get is something you could’ve ordered in a drive-thru? Disappointment reigns.
Conversely, a 25-handicap golfer sticking it to three feet on a difficult par three would feel pretty good about themselves.
The expectations for this version of the Thunder are in line with some of their best seasons ever. The team that won 57 games a year ago replaced its worst two defensive players with two of the best defenders in the league, analytically speaking.
Bona-fide MVP candidate SGA has incrementally improved every year. J-Dub and Chet may have all-star leaps in them yet. And this core is surrounded by role players who can defend and shoot at a high level.
It very well could be that this team wins fewer games than they did last year and ends up better overall. Given their tremendous injury luck last year (only 23 starters games lost), and given the fact-finding mission Mark Daigneault will embark on in figuring out optimal lineups, there could be a feeling-out process. And that, according to Daigneault, is something he looks forward to playing out “organically.”
But there’s no denying their overall talent. And there’s no denying the team’s consistent development year over year — evident in the way in which OKC has routinely beat their Vegas win total.
Can they top the 56.5 wins they’re predicted to get? Maybe so, but it’s evident this team isn’t using that as their metric of success. It’s what they can do in the postseason. The regular season will go a long way in setting the table for that.
Watch the interviews HERE or individually below.
Photos from Thunder Media Day
Thunder GM, Sam Presti, held his annual preseason press conference which you can watch below!
OKC Thunder preseason schedule begins MON 10/07 in San Antonio vs. the Spurs.
The 2024-25 regular season tips off in Denver THU 10/24 against the Denver Nuggets and the first home game inside Paycom Center is SUN 10/27 hosting the Atlanta Hawks.
Don’t miss Thunder Fan Fest coming up on SUN 10/06 to kick off the season!
