2022–23 Oklahoma City Thunder season


2022–23 Oklahoma City Thunder season


The 2022–23 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 15th season of the franchise in Oklahoma City and the 57th in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Thunder became the first No. 10 seed to win the NBA's Page-McIntyre system postseason format for the No. 7 to No. 10 seeds, after defeating the No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans, 123–118, but were eliminated in the second stage of the play-in round by the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves, 120–95.

Previous season

The Thunder finished the 2021–22 season 24–58 to finish in fifth place in the Northwest Division, fourteenth in the Western Conference and failed to qualify for the playoffs. This marks the second consecutive season that the Thunder failed to qualify for the playoffs since moving to Oklahoma City.

In their second year of the rebuild, the Thunder started the season with 10 players aged 23 years or under. Throughout the season, the Thunder had numerous injuries to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Josh Giddey, and Kenrich Williams. Playing without Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey, and Williams, the Thunder were defeated by an NBA record 73-points in a 152–79 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 2, 2021.

In his rookie season, Josh Giddey - the 6th pick in the 2021 NBA draft - recorded four triple-doubles including becoming the youngest ever to record one at 19 years and 84 days old. Before his season ending injury, Giddey had won four consecutive Western Conference Rookie of the Month and ultimately finished on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

The Thunder ended the 2021-22 season injury-riddled with nine players out in the final games. Utilizing their G League affiliate in the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder signed Melvin Frazier Jr., Jaylen Hoard, Georgios Kalaitzakis, and Zavier Simpson to finish out the season.

Offseason

Draft picks

The Thunder had three first-round picks and one second-round pick entering the draft. The Thunder owned two first-round picks entering the 2022 NBA draft lottery. Their sole first-round pick had a 12.50% chance to win the first overall pick while the pick originally acquired from the LA Clippers had a 1.50% chance to win the first pick, acquired through the Paul George trade in 2019. With a combined 14.0% chance to win the first overall pick, the Thunder ended the night with the second overall pick, via their sole first-round pick, and the twelfth overall pick, via the Clippers. The Thunder's other first-round pick ended up as the thirtieth pick originally acquired from the Phoenix Suns as a result of the Chris Paul trade in 2020.

On draft night, the Thunder traded three protected 2023 first-round draft picks to the New York Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Ousmane Dieng, the eleventh pick. With the thirtieth pick, the Thunder selected and traded the draft rights to Peyton Watson to the Denver Nuggets in the JaMychal Green trade.

The Thunder ended 2022 NBA draft night with Gonzaga forward Chet Holmgren, Australia's NBL forward Ousmane Dieng, Santa Clara guard Jalen Williams, and Arkansas forward Jaylin Williams.

Trades

On June 23, the Thunder traded the draft rights to Peyton Watson, the thirtieth pick, and two future second-round draft picks to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for JaMychal Green and a future 2027 first-round pick. On July 20, the Thunder negotiated a contract buyout and waived Green. In return, Green gave up $2.6 million in his buyout.

On September 27, the Thunder traded Vít Krejčí to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Maurice Harkless and draft considerations in an effort to clear a roster spot. The Thunder received a 2029 second-round pick and amendments on the conditions of a previously traded 2025 second-round pick which will be now top-40 protected.

On September 30, the Thunder traded Derrick Favors, Maurice Harkless, Ty Jerome, Théo Maledon, a 2026 second-round pick and cash considerations to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and David Nwaba. Jerome did not report to training camp after a mutual agreement with the Thunder and Jerome's representatives. With the trade, the Thunder generated two trade exceptions and dropped approximately $10 million under the luxury tax. On October 2, the Thunder waived Sterling Brown after acquiring him two days ago. On October 17, the Thunder waived Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, and David Nwaba to finalize the regular season roster.

Free agency

For this offseason, free agency began on June 30, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. EST. Derrick Favors, Mike Muscala, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Roby had upcoming player and team options. In addition, Theo Maledon, Vit Krejci, Aaron Wiggins, and Kenrich Williams held non-guaranteed contracts with the team heading into next season. Melvin Frazier Jr. also held a two-way contract that expired this season. On May 17, Derrick Favors exercised his player option for $10.2 million. On June 29, the Thunder declined Mike Muscala's team option for $3.5 million and exercised Isaiah Roby's team option for $1.9 million. However, on July 3, the Thunder waived Roby as his salary would have become fully guaranteed after exercising his team option. On June 30, it was reported that Luguentz Dort agreed to a five-year, $87.5 million deal to stay with the Thunder, which he later signed on July 6. Dort and the Thunder negotiated the new deal after his team option for $1.9 million was declined. On July 18, it was reported that Kenrich Williams signed a multi-year contract extension worth four-year, $27.2 million, which he later signed on July 20. On August 4, the Thunder re-signed Mike Muscala to a two-year, $7 million deal after his team option was declined on June 30. On October 26, it was announced that Melvin Frazier Jr. joined the Raptors 905 for the upcoming season.

On July 2, Eugene Omoruyi signed a two-way contract with the Thunder, splitting time with the Thunder and Oklahoma City Blue. Omoruyi spent part of the 2021-22 NBA season on a previous two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks. On October 16, Isaiah Joe signed a contract with the Thunder after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Front office and coaching changes

On July 27, the Thunder hired Chip Engelland, formerly with the San Antonio Spurs, as an assistant coach. Engelland is considered one of the NBA's preeminent shooting coach and has been one of the league's highest-paid assistant coaches. Sam Presti and Engelland previously worked together with the Spurs organization in the mid-2000s. On July 27, the Thunder hired Vince Rozman, formerly with the Philadelphia 76ers in scouting as VP of Identification and Intelligence. Rozman spent over 15-plus years with the 76ers.

On September 23, the Thunder announced Grant Gibbs will join the Thunder coaching staff after serving as head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue for the past three seasons. In addition, Thunder assistant Kameron Woods was named the new head coach of the Blue. Woods previously played for the Blue for two seasons and served as the head coach of the Thunder during the 2022 NBA Summer League.

Season synopsis

Preseason

The Thunder announced their preseason schedule on August 25. The Thunder played six games, with three games in Oklahoma, two games against international opponents. That same day, the Thunder announced Chet Holmgren will miss the entire season after sustaining a fracture in his right foot during a Pro-Am event. The Thunder opened their preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets on October 3. Tre Mann led the Thunder with 17 points while Aaron Wiggins scored 15 points on a perfect 4-4 from three off the bench in a 112–101 win. Against the Adelaide 36ers on October 6, the Thunder led by as many as 40 points as Mann and Lindy Waters III combined for 14 threes in a 131–98 rout. The Thunder topped their performance against the 36ers with a 144–97 victory over Maccabi Ra'anana leading by as many as 51 points. Eight Thunder players scored in double digits led by Eugene Omoruyi's 25 points. The Thunder ended preseason with a 5–1 record with their single loss against the Dallas Mavericks.

Regular season

October

The Thunder began their 15th season since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 19. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed all of preseason, led the Thunder with 32 points. The Thunder trailed by as many as 16-points until a late rally turned into a six-point lead for the Thunder. However the Thunder could not keep the lead, losing 108–115 in their season opener. Rookie guard Jalen Williams took a hit defending a dunk attempt by Jaden McDaniels and left the game, ending his rookie debut with five points in five minutes. The Thunder again faced the Timberwolves for the home opener on October 23. The Thunder never led and trailed by as many as 22-points falling to 0-3 on the season in a 106–116 loss.

In a back-to-back against the LA Clippers, on October 25, Gilgeous-Alexander and Tre Mann led the Thunder to their first win of the season with 33 points and 25 points respectively. In the second game on October 27, the Thunder led by as many as 18 points to a 118–110 win against the Clippers for their second win of the season. Back on the road, on October 29 against the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder erased an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation in a 117–111 overtime victory. OKC trailed by as many as 16-points headed into the fourth quarter until the Thunder came back behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Joe. Joe, a late signing after being waived by the 76ers, started the fourth quarter comeback by hitting a pair of free throws and a jumper to cut the lead to six. After two Gilgeous-Alexander jumpers, Joe hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime with 15.8 seconds left in the fourth. Joe later scored 8 of his 15 points in the overtime period giving the Thunder a 117–111 win and their first road victory. On October 31, Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA Player of the Week for Week 2 after averaging 31.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.

November

After being named NBA Player of the Week, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points to lead the Thunder after being down 15 points in the second half to a 116–108 win against the Orlando Magic. With a 4–3 record, the Thunder had a winning record for the first time since nine games into the 2020-21 season. In a double overtime thriller on November 9, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points including a step-back three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left in the first overtime giving the Thunder a 126–125 lead. However, Luguentz Dort fouled Brook Lopez on an inbounds lob where Lopez made 1-of-2 free throws. The Thunder ended up losing 132–136 extending their losing streak to four games. Coming off a double overtime game, on November 11, two-way contract player Eugene Omoruyi scored a career-high 22 points to defeat the Toronto Raptors 132–113 after leading by as much as 32 points. Against the New York Knicks on November 12, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points, Josh Giddey recorded 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists as the Thunder shot a season-high 62.5% in a 145–135 win. Giddey joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only player in NBA history to record triple-doubles in their first two appearances at Madison Square Garden. On November 16, trailing by as much as 17, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 in the second half as he matched his career high with 42 points with a step-back three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left as the Thunder defeated the Washington Wizards 121–120. In their third meeting with the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder rallied from a 19-point deficit to take a 15-point lead in the second half before falling 126–131 in overtime. Isaiah Joe almost played heroics again with a career-high 21 points with 7 threes, including a late three in overtime after a jump ball scramble. With Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined with a bruised hip, rookie Jalen Williams scored a career-high 27 points rallying the Thunder from a 20-point second half deficit to win 119–111 against the San Antonio Spurs on November 30. The next day, Williams was named NBA Rookie of the Month for October/November after averaging 10.7 points on 52.4% shooting, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. Williams became the third Thunder rookie to win Rookie of the Month honors after Russell Westbrook and Josh Giddey.

December

The Thunder started their longest road trip of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 3. On their second game of the road trip against the Atlanta Hawks, the Thunder overcame a 14-point deficit in the third to win 121–114. This was the Thunder's first win in Atlanta since the 2017-18 season. Trips to Memphis, Cleveland and Dallas saw the Thunder finish the road trip 2-3 with narrow losses to the Cavaliers and Mavericks. Back at Paycom Center, the Thunder then started their longest home stand with seven straight games. Playing without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, the Thunder led by as many as 24-points against the top-seeded Memphis Grizzlies on December 17 with Luguentz Dort's 24 points Isaiah Joe's career-high 23 points in a 115–109 win. In the first back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers, Gilgeous-Alexander hit a game winner at the buzzer over Justise Winslow to finish with 35 points on December 19. Coming off back-to-back wins against the Trail Blazers, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 44 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists in an overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Gilgeous-Alexander nearly sent the game into double overtime after a missed free throw rebound caromed toward halfcourt. During a 130–114 win against the San Antonio Spurs, Giddey became the second-youngest NBA player to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, behind only LeBron James. The Thunder bench also scored a season-high 68 points marking the second most bench points in Thunder history.

January

Playing without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder scored a season-high 150 points in a 150–117 win over the then-best record Boston Celtics on January 3. The Thunder's 150 points and 48 in the third quarter were franchise highs as well as seven Thunder players scoring in double-figures led by Josh Giddey with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes. On January 10 against the Miami Heat, the Thunder played on national TV - excluding NBA TV - for the first time since the 2020 NBA Playoffs on TNT. The Heat, led by Jimmy Butler, set an NBA record making all 40 free throws in a 112–111 win over the Thunder. Against the 76ers, the Thunder snapped their six game road losing streak after leading by as much as 21 to a 133–114 win. Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points including a career-perfect 16-16 from the free throw line. Rookie Jaylin Williams also contributed with a career-high 11 points in his fourth start of his career. In their third game in four nights, the Thunder swept the season series against the Chicago Bulls behind Giddey's season-high 25 points. Rookie Jalen Williams also added 22 points on an efficient 10-12 shooting. To finish the four game road trip, Giddey tied his career-high 28 points along with 9 rebounds and 9 assists in a 112–102 win against the Brooklyn Nets. Returning back home, the Thunder recorded a franchise-high 41 assists in a 126–106 rout against the Indiana Pacers on January 18. Against the then-best record in the west Denver Nuggets, Gilgeous-Alexander banked in the decisive game-winner with 9.2 seconds left in a 101–99 win. On January 31, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams were named to the 2023 Rising Stars Challenge. In 45 games, Giddey averaged 16.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Giddey's assists ranked second among sophomores. In 46 games, Williams averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals. Giddey and Williams became the 12th and 13th players in Thunder history to be named to a Rising Stars team.

February

On February 2, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named a 2023 NBA All-Star reserve for the first time. In 47 games, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks, leading the Thunder to a 24–27 record. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30-plus points in 30 games this season, ranking second this season. He leads the league with 434 made free throws and sixth in the league with 101 points scored in clutch time. Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Chris Paul as the fifth Thunder player to be named an All-Star since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. In his first game after being named an All-Star, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 20 first quarter points in a 153–121 rout against the Houston Rockets. The Thunder set a new franchise record 153 points after previously setting an Oklahoma City-high 150 points. The Thunder ended with six players in double-figures scoring led by Gilgeous-Alexander's 42 points. On February 7, the Thunder had their second national TV game on TNT against the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time scoring leader on a fadeaway shot against Kenrich Williams. Despite James' record breaking night, the Thunder won 133–130 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 30 points and Jalen Williams's 25 points.

At the NBA trade deadline, the Thunder completed two trades with the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder traded Mike Muscala to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Justin Jackson and two second-round picks. Muscala, who re-signed with the Thunder this offseason, averaged 6.2 points on 39.4% three-point shooting in 43 games. Jackson, who played for the Thunder during the 2020-21 season, was waived following the trade. Muscala's departure allowed the Thunder to prioritize more playing time for Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Jaylin Williams and Ousmane Dieng, in addition to Chet Holmgren next season. The Thunder also traded Darius Bazley to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Dario Šarić, a second-round pick, and cash considerations. Bazley's role decreased with the Thunder this year after averaging 10.8 points in the 2021-22 season to 5.4 points in 36 games this season. Šarić joins the Thunder after recovering from a torn ACL and missing the entire 2021-22 season averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds this season. After waiving Justin Jackson, the Thunder converted Eugene Omoruyi's two-way contract to a standard contract extending through the 2023-24 season. Omoruyi became the fifth Thunder player to have their two-way converted into a standard contract, joining Deonte Burton, Luguentz Dort, Moses Brown, and Aaron Wiggins. To fill in the open two-way slot, the Thunder signed Olivier Sarr who spent part of the 2021-22 season with the Thunder. Sarr rejoined the Oklahoma City Blue in January after being waived by the Portland Trail Blazers.

On February 10, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career high with 44 points in a 138–129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 81% from field along with 18 of 19 from the free throw line becoming the first player in franchise history to record 40+ points on 80% or better from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander was later named the NBA Player of the Week for Week 17 - his second - after averaging 31.3 points, 6.3 assists on 57.1% shooting. At the 2023 NBA All-Star Jordan Rising Stars Challenge, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams were both selected for Team Joakim. Against Team Jason, Giddey had a team high 6 assists while Williams had a team high 5 rebounds in a 40–32 win. In the championship final, Team Joakim lost 20–25 to Team Pau. At 2023 NBA All-Star Game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was selected fifth overall in the reserves to Team Giannis. In his first All-Star game, Gilgeous-Alexander had 9 points and 7 assists in 10 minutes as Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron 184–175.

Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Joe started and scored a career-high 28 points on 6-12 three-point shooting in a 125–115 loss to the Phoenix Suns on February 24. On February 26, the Thunder waived Eugene Omoruyi sixteen days after re-signing to a multi-year contract. Omoruyi started off on a two-way contract before re-signing to a standard contract following the departures of Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala. Omoruyi appeared in 21 games averaging 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes. The Thunder opted for a free roster spot and decided between waiving Omoruyi or Dario Šarić. By converting Omoruyi's contract into a standard, the Thunder gave Omoruyi a pay bump prior to inevitably being waived. To fill in the open roster spot, the Thunder converted Lindy Waters III's two-way contract to a standard contract. Waters III became the sixth Thunder player to have their two-way contract converted into a standard contract.

March

On March 2, the Thunder announced Kenrich Williams will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a scapholunate ligament rupture in his left wrist after a 123–117 loss to the Sacramento Kings. In his third season with the Thunder, Williams appeared in 53 games averaging 8.0 points on 51.7% from the field, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 22.8 minutes. Williams also led the league during that time with 26 charges drawn. After Lindy Waters III's two-way contract was converted into a standard contract, the Thunder signed Jared Butler to a two-way contract. Butler spent the beginning of the season with the Grand Rapids Gold in the NBA G League averaging 18.0 points and 5.7 assists in 41 games after being waived by the Utah Jazz prior to the season. Against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder had their eighth game this season with three players scoring more than 20 points. Coming back from injury, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points, Jalen Williams had a career high 32 points on 12-15 shooting, and Josh Giddey had 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists in a 129–119 win. Against the Golden State Warriors on March 7, the Thunder snapped their eight game losing streak to Golden State. Seven Thunder players scored in double-figures led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 33 points. Additionally, Josh Giddey recorded his seventh career triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and a career high 17 assists and Jaylin Williams scored a career high 15 points. On March 19, the Thunder came back down 15 against the Phoenix Suns to win 124–120. After not playing the entire game, Aaron Wiggins lead an 18-2 run in the fourth quarter with 7 points and 2 steals while playing the whole quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 40 points while Luguentz Dort had 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter. In the first of a back-to-back against the LA Clippers, Luguentz Dort defended Kawhi Leonard on the final possession and kept Leonard from getting a shot off before the clock expired to give the Thunder a 101–100 win. After losing in the second game of a back-to-back with the Clippers, the Thunder fell to the Los Angeles Lakers despite Josh Giddey's 27 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 assist performance in a 116–111 loss dropping the Thunder for 10th in the West after climbing up to 7th. Without Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Joe, Jalen Williams, and Josh Giddey combined for 95 points in a 137–134 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Joe, who started for Gilgeous-Alexander, had career-high 33 points with 6 threes. Williams was one point shy of his career-high had 31 points and 4 steals. Giddey finished with a career-high 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists however he missed a game-tying free throw with 4.0 seconds left.

After falling two games under .500 following the loss to the Hornets, the Thunder defeated the Detroit Pistons behind Jalen Williams' putback with less than a second in a 107–106 win after Josh Giddey's hook shot rolled off. With Gilgeous-Alexander sitting again, Williams led the Thunder with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Williams also joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to have three or more games with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a season as a rookie.

April

Entering the final month of the season, the Thunder had a 38–40 record, sitting in the final spot of the NBA play-in tournament holding the tiebreaker against the 37–40 Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder held two more home and away games in the month of April against the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, and Memphis Grizzlies. Against the Phoenix Suns on April 2, the Thunder fell 128–118 despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 39 points. In the second half, the Thunder rallied down 16 points to cut the lead to 3 before back-to-back threes by Kevin Durant. The Thunder started their final road trip against the Golden State Warriors and the Utah Jazz. In their final meeting, the Thunder held the lead until the 8:29 mark of the fourth quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, 21 in the first half however the Thunder fell 136–125, losing their third in a row and fourth of five. Despite the Thunder's losing streak, the Thunder remained in 10th place after the Dallas Mavericks lost seventh of nine. In the final road game of the season, the Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 114–98, going on a 19–2 run bridging the third and fourth quarter to take control. With Gilgeous-Alexander struggling, Josh Giddey had 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, Aaron Wiggins added 15 points and 3 steals. Dario Šarić also had his first double-double with the Thunder with 14 points and 10 rebounds. With the win, the Thunder were guaranteed to reach the NBA play-in tournament by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the final regular season game. On April 7, the Dallas Mavericks announced that Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, Maxi Kleber, and Christian Wood would sit out against the Chicago Bulls, a game that Dallas had to win to avoid being eliminated from the NBA play-in tournament scenario. Dallas was tied with the Bulls for the 10th-best lottery odds and would had conveyed their first-round pick to the New York Knicks had it fallen out of the top-10. With Luka Dončić only playing 13 minutes, the Mavericks were officially eliminated from play-in contention following a 115–112 loss to the Chicago Bulls, giving the Thunder the final play-in spot. After clinching a play-in spot, the Thunder rested Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, and Jaylin Williams in the final regular season game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Playing only seven players, all five starters played more than 40 minutes led by Tre Mann in a 115–100 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Mann recorded his first career triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. Jared Butler had a career-high 25 points while Ousmane Dieng also recorded a career-high 22 points, 8 rebounds, and a career-high 9 assists. With the win, the Thunder finished the 2022-23 season with a 40–42 record, finishing tenth in the Western Conference and third in the Northwest Division.

Play-in

New Orleans Pelicans

With a 40–42 record, the Thunder finished tenth in the Western Conference and clinched the final spot in the NBA play-in tournament. The Thunder matched up against the ninth seed New Orleans Pelicans in the 9/10 matchup. The Pelicans won the season series against the Thunder, winning 3 out of 4 games. In the Thunder's three losses, the Thunder lost by a combined 10-points with two 3-point losses. Against the Pelicans, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a team-high 33.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Gilgeous-Alexander also tied his career-high with 44 points in a December 23 matchup.

The Thunder kept the same starting lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, and Jaylin Williams against the Pelicans who were without Zion Williamson. Pelicans center Jonas Valančiūnas started the game with 6 early points off second chance points to give the Pelicans an early 19–10 lead. However, Luguentz Dort kept the Thunder in the game with 14 points in the first quarter to give the Thunder a three-point lead. In the second, the Thunder and the Pelicans continued to exchange baskets until a late run gave the Pelicans a 63–57 halftime lead. At halftime, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his lowest-scoring first half with only 7 points on 3–10 shooting due to Herbert Jones's tenacious defense. To start the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 points while Josh Giddey added 12 points and 5 assists as the Thunder outscored the Pelicans 39–24 to give the Thunder a 9-point lead entering the fourth. Despite the lead, the Pelicans took the lead at the 7:59 mark off a Josh Richardson dunk with Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench. After double timeouts from both teams at the 3:12 mark, Brandon Ingram made consecutive pullup jumpers after the Thunder continued to tie the game. After Jaylin Williams made 1–of–2 free throws, CJ McCollum missed a floater gave the Thunder a chance to take the lead down 114–113. Gilgeous-Alexander drove into the paint with Jones on him and made a shot over Jones to give the Thunder a 115–114 lead. After a series of free throws including a made three by Ingram to cut the lead to one with 4.1 seconds, CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones turned over the ball while inbounding securing a 123–118 win for the Thunder. The Thunder won its first play-in game and advanced to face the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final spot in the 2023 NBA playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points, scoring 25 points in the second half. Josh Giddey had a near triple-double with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists while Luguentz Dort added 27 points with four threes.

Minnesota Timberwolves

After defeating the New Orleans Pelicans, the Thunder matched up against the eighth seed Minnesota Timberwolves who lost to the seventh seed Los Angeles Lakers in the 7/8 matchup. The Timberwolves won the season series against the Thunder, also winning 3 out of 4 games. The Thunder's sole victory was in a December 3 matchup when Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was ejected for intentionally tripping Kenrich Williams with Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns injured.

The Thunder kept the same starting lineup against the Timberwolves that featured Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. The Thunder started off 4–4 from the field but struggled throughout the first half and trailed 57–47 at halftime. After an offensive rebound, Gobert accidentally elbowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the face, leading to Gilgeous-Alexander to return to the locker room. Despite Gilgeous-Alexander's return, the Thunder fell behind 95–78 at the end of third. The Timberwolves continued to expand their lead, leading by as much as 29 points to a 120–95 win. Being guarded by his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled shooting 5–for–19 for 22 points. Playing small, the Thunder were overwhelmed by Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert who combined for 49 points and 21 rebounds as the Timberwolves outscored the Thunder 58–30 in points in the paint.

Recap

With the loss, the Thunder missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season and entered the 2023 NBA Draft lottery with twelfth best odds in the lottery after losing the tiebreaker with the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder improved their record, winning 16 more games for a 40–42 record along with a play-in victory over the Pelicans.

The Thunder were nominated for three 2022-23 season awards: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the NBA Most Improved Player, Jalen Williams for the NBA Rookie of the Year and Mark Daigneault for the NBA Coach of the Year. Daigneault led the Thunder into the play-in tournament and a game away from the eighth seed in the playoffs after low preseason expectations for the Thunder. Daigneault ultimately finished second in voting with 48 second place votes and 20 third place votes. Becoming a first-time All-Star, Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in voting with 24 first place votes and 54 second place votes losing to Lauri Markkanen. Williams, who averaged 14.1 points on 52% shooting, finished second in voting with 75 second place votes and 16 third place votes.

Roster

Roster notes

  • Darius Bazley changed his jersey number to #55 while Chet Holmgren chose Bazley's former jersey number #7.
  • Chet Holmgren sustained a Lisfranc injury in his right foot and will missed the 2022-23 NBA season. Holmgren sustained the injury in the CrawsOver Pro-Am event while defending LeBron James on a fast break. The Thunder received an insurance reimbursement of 80% on Holmgren's per-game salary as a result of him missing 41 games.
  • Eugene Omoruyi became the first player in Thunder history to wear jersey number #97, second in league history.

Salaries

Source: Spotrac

Staff

Standings

Game log

Preseason

Regular season

Play-in

Record vs. opponents

Player statistics

Preseason

  Led team in statistic

Source: RealGM
T Waived after preseason

Regular season

  Led team in statistic

Source: Basketball-Reference
‡ Waived during the season
† Traded during the season
≠ Acquired during the season

Play-in

  Led team in statistic

Source: NBA

Individual game highs

Awards and records

Awards

  • Mark Daigneault finished second in NBA Coach of the Year voting with 48 second place votes and 20 third place votes.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in NBA Most Improved Player voting with 24 first place votes and 54 second place votes.
  • Jalen Williams finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting with 75 second place votes and 16 third place votes.

Records

  • In Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's first seven appearances this season, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 226 points marking the highest point total in Thunder history by a player through his first seven games of a season.
  • On November 11, 2022, eight Thunder players scored in double-figures for the first time in Thunder history in a 132–113 win over the Toronto Raptors.
  • On November 13, 2022, Josh Giddey joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to record triple-doubles during their first two games at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. Giddey had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in his second game at Madison Square Garden.
  • On December 27, 2022, the Thunder bench recorded 68 points marking the second most bench points in Thunder history.
  • On December 27, 2022, Josh Giddey became the second-youngest NBA player to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, behind only LeBron James.
  • On January 3, 2023, the Thunder recorded a then franchise-high 150 points in Oklahoma City history as well as a franchise-high 48 points in a quarter. 150 is also tied for the second-highest total the Boston Celtics have allowed in franchise history.
  • On January 3, 2023, the Thunder had five players score 20 or more points in a game for the second time in franchise history.
  • On January 18, 2023, the Thunder recorded a franchise-high 41 assists against the Indiana Pacers in a 126–106 win. Josh Giddey had 11 assists and Kenrich Williams had a career high 10 assists.
  • On February 4, 2023, the Thunder recorded a franchise-high 153 points against the Houston Rockets in a 153–121 win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points to lead all scorers. The Thunder had six players in double figures scoring.

Milestones

  • On November 13, 2022, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passed Paul George on the Thunder's all-time scoring list.
  • On December 1, 2022, Jalen Williams joined Russell Westbrook and Josh Giddey to earn Rookie of the Month honors since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.
  • On December 16, 2022, Luguentz Dort passed James Harden on the Thunder's all-time most three-pointers.
  • Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams became the 12th and 13th Thunder player to be named a Rising Star.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Chris Paul as the fifth Thunder player to be named an All-Star since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.
  • Jalen Williams joins Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the third Thunder rookie to have three games with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a season.
  • On April 12, 2023, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey became the youngest pair of teammates to each score 30 or more points in an elimination game in play-in and playoffs history.
  • Jalen Williams joins Russell Westbrook as the second Thunder player to be named to an All-Rookie First Team since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Paul George as the fourth Thunder player to be named to an All-NBA First Team and the fifth Thunder player to be named to an All-NBA Team overall since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.

Statistical

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished fourth in the league in points per game with 31.4 points a game.
  • Isaiah Joe finished twenty-fifth in the league in three point percentage at 40.9% from three.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished fifth in the league in free throw percentage at 90.5% from the free throw line.
  • Jaylin Williams led the league in total charges drawn with 43.

Injuries

^ a: Chet Holmgren sustained a Lisfranc injury in his right foot prior to the start of the season and missed the entire 2022-23 season.
^ b: Kenrich Williams sustained a scapholunate ligament rupture in his left wrist and missed the rest of the 2022-23 season.

G League assignments

Source: NBA G League Transactions

Transactions

Overview

Trades

Free agency

Re-signed

^ c: Eugene Omoruyi initially signed a two-way contract before it was converted into a multi-year contract.
^ d: Lindy Waters III initially signed a two-way contract before it was converted into a multi-year contract.

Additions

Subtractions

G League

The Oklahoma City Blue started their 9th season of the franchise in Oklahoma City and their 22nd season in the NBA G League. Last season, the Blue finished 15-20 and failed to make the playoffs after becoming the runner-ups in the 2021 Winter Showcase.

On September 23, 2022, the Thunder named Kameron Woods the new head coach of the Blue, becoming the third head coach since the franchise relocated from Tulsa. Woods replaced Grant Gibbs following his promotion to the Thunder. Gibbs joins current head coach Mark Daigneault and Darko Rajaković as the third Blue head coach to join the Thunder coaching staff.

To fill in the open two-way spot left by Melvin Frazier Jr., the Thunder signed Eugene Omoruyi to a two-way contract. Omoruyi joined Lindy Waters III on a two-way after spending part of the 2021-22 season with the Dallas Mavericks. On February 10, the Thunder converted Omoruyi's contract into a standard, becoming the fifth Thunder player to have their two-way converted. To replace Omoruyi, the Thunder signed Olivier Sarr who spent part of the last season with the Thunder. After waiving Omoruyi sixteen days after re-signing to a standard, the Thunder converted Lindy Waters III into a standard. Replacing Waters III was Jared Butler who began the season with the Grand Rapids Gold.

Throughout the season, the Thunder sent down Ousmane Dieng, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokuševski, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Lindy Waters III, Aaron Wiggins, and Jaylin Williams on G League assignments. On February 1, 2023, the Blue acquired André Roberson after it was reported that Roberson had been practicing with the Blue last month. Roberson spent seven seasons with the Thunder and became one of the top defenders in the league including an All-Defensive team in 2017. During the 2017-18 season, Roberson suffered a patellar tendon and was sidelined for the remainder of the season and the following season. Roberson's last stint was with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 season.

Under Kameron Woods, the Blue finished the season 13-19 and missed the G League playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

References


Text submitted to CC-BY-SA license. Source: 2022–23 Oklahoma City Thunder season by Wikipedia (Historical)



 

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