The Thunder finished first in the West in the 2023-24 regular season, but were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, mainly due to Giddey's poor shooting defense and lack of tough defense and height on the inside.
Since the offseason, the Thunder team has quietly carried out a trade, a signing and two contract extensions, not only to stabilize the lineup, but also to make the team's weakest link to be perfectly supplemented, the new season, on the basis of the continuous growth of young players, plus the help of reinforcements, will become a strong contender for the championship, what is more expected is that the starting five are all excellent defensively, which will be a nightmare for the opponent's offense.
One trade: The Thunder traded young point guard Giddey for Caruso
Giddey is not good enough, his passing is good, but his outside shooting ability is not consistent enough, and the defense can't help the team, and now Caruso joins, he not only has excellent three-point ability, but more importantly, his defense can take a lot of pressure off Alexander, this deal is uncertain who will win and who will lose in the future, but from now on, the Thunder are definitely the winners.
One signing: The Thunder signed Hartenstein for three years and $87 million
Hartenstein has performed well with the Knicks, but they have Hartenstein's early bird rights and can only offer him a three-year, $72 million contract, and after signing Anunoby with a salary cap and trading to Bridges, it is already foreseeable that they will give Hartenstein the best chance.
Hartenstein has a balanced offensive and defensive balance, although he is not a top defender, but he is tall enough, and the defense is definitely above average, after he starts with Holmgren, Holmgren can return to the power forward position, can be more involved in the offense, and does not need to be targeted every game, after all, he is physically weak, and he is only a rookie who needs to grow.
Two contract extensions: 4 years and 48 million to sign Joe, and 5 years and 47 million to renew Wiggins
According to a report from Shams of The Athletic, on the first day of free agency, the Thunder signed two key rotation players to the team.
Joe played 78 games for the Thunder in the 2023-24 season, averaging 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, and was an important rotation player for the team.
Wiggins played in 78 games for the Thunder in the 2023-24 season, averaging 6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Although Joe and Wiggins are only rotation players, signing them to an extension maintains the stability of the original roster, and they are both young enough to grow with the three cores.
It can be seen from the operation of the Thunder that their starting lineup for the 2024-25 season is basically determined, that is: Caruso + Alexander + Jalen Williams + Holmgren + Hartenstein, the benches are: Dort, Joe, Wiggins, Jaylin Williams, Wallace, and Dort originally had the starting strength in any team, just for the balance of the team's lineup, he will become a substitute, but he is definitely the best substitute for the team.
The biggest strength of the Thunder's rotation lineup is defense, and the starting five have no defensive weaknesses, all of which are balanced offensively and defensively. It's just that this lineup still has his shortcomings, that is, the consistency of scoring and the ability to pass, in terms of passing, Alexander will take on more responsibility, in terms of scoring continuity, as young players grow, it will also be solved in the game, and the Thunder in the new season will surely become one of the strongest teams in the league.
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