Top 5 Thunder Preseason Takeaways

The Oklahoma City Thunder concluded their 2026-2027 preseason slate on Thursday night with a loss to the Houston Rockets.

Now that those pesky exhibition games are out of the way, we are just mere days away from the regular season tipping off. But before jumping ahead to the good stuff, there were some things that stood out in the preseason that could be important once the real games begin.

OKC finished their exhibition play with a 1-4 record. Doesn't matter one iota. So let's run down the preseason takeaways that may actually matter.

Top 5 Thunder Preseason Takeaways

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already in midseason form. And by midseason form, I mean of course MVP form. The OKC superstar averaged 16.3 points while shooting 65.2% from the field, 66.7% from deep and 92.9% from the free throw line. Gilgeous-Alexander has set his own bar of consistent excellence so high that it's easy to take for granted, but it's still encouraging to see the best player in the world looks like he is going to hit the court running. 

4. Cason Wallace seems to be the 5th starter. The anticipated Lu Dort replacement in the starting lineup only played in two preseason games, but he started both times. More specifically, Wallace started over Ajay Mitchell both times. Mitchell did start the final game, but Wallace did not play in that one. Nothing is set in stone, but it sure seems as though OKC will be starting an all-Kentucky Wildcat backcourt.

3. Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams did not play. This one is understandably causing slight concern amongst some Thunder fans. Mark Daigneault said the team "was just being cautious" when they were held out in the first preseason game when OKC's other starters and vets played. The Thunder have not said anything else about their health statuses, so for now we can assume both will be good to go for Opening Night.

2. Jalen Williams is healthy. OKC desperately missed their second leading scorer and playmaker during their Western Conference Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs. Anyone worrying that Williams' injuries would linger into training camp and the start of the new season can breathe a sigh of relief. The All-Star averaged 16.7 points on 56.4% shooting while stuffing the stat sheet in every department in his minutes. Most importantly, he looked like his normal aggressive, physical, forceful self.

1. Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz look like draft night steals. Easily the Thunder headline of the preseason was how well OKC's 1st Round rookie duo played. Mara averaged 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds. 2.8 assists and 2.4 blocks in 23.3 minutes while shooting 78.8% from the field and 78.9% from the line. Stirtz averaged 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 27.2 minutes while shooting 50% from the field and 48.4% from deep. It's a small preseason sample size, but the rookies look like they can play from day one.