Thunder Fantasy Exit Interview: OKC remains stacked, loaded for next season despite falling short vs. Spurs

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season came to a crushing end with a narrow Game 7 loss in the Western Conference Final to the San Antonio Spurs. With a chance to close it out in two games, the 2025 champs fell short. This exit interview looks back on a season defined by SGA’s back-to-back MVPs, with one of the deepest supporting casts in the league. Let’s break down OKC’s fantasy season and what’s next for this team.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA MVP award for the second consecutive season and the numbers backed it up. He closed the year averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 3s on a career-best 55.3% from the field, while setting a record with 127 consecutive games scoring 20 or more points. He’s finished as a top-3 fantasy player in 9-cat leagues for four straight seasons while finishing fourth in High Score, averaging 55 fantasy points per game. I’d still take SGA over Luka Dončić heading into next year.

Chet Holmgren played in 69 games, averaging 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.3 3s, and 1.7 assists over 28.9 minutes per game. He earned his first All-Star nod, made the All-NBA Third Team and was named to the All-Defensive First Team — an all-around strong season for the third-year pro. He played one of the worst Game 7s in recent memory against the Spurs on Saturday. So bad there’s chatter of him even getting traded. Still, that shouldn’t distract managers from drafting him.

Chet still has untapped upside. Despite top-five block numbers and elite efficiency, his minutes are capped below 30 per game due to injury management, limiting his fantasy ceiling. While his reliability is valuable, he should be taking more than 11 shots and rebounding more aggressively. Holmgren’s ADP was 27 and he finished 19th in 9-cat, but only 64th in High Score. A third-rounder is fair for 9-cat, but in points leagues, consider dropping him a round or two next season.

Play 2026 Soccer Pick ‘Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world’s biggest soccer tournament

Jalen Williams couldn’t catch a break. Hand/wrist, then ankle, then recurring hamstrings — the injury carousel made him nearly impossible to rely on all season. Williams didn’t come close to reaching his third-round ADP, finishing 61st in High Score and 88th in 9-cat on a per-game basis in 33 games. He’s still a talented two-way wing, and I’m confident he’ll bounce back to the 20-5-5 type of player we’ve seen before. A full offseason to get right is necessary.  I wouldn’t draft him before the fourth round next season unless we see evidence that he’s 100% ready for training camp.

Isaiah Hartenstein took a step back from his strong season in 2024-25. Injuries limited his availability and the overall numbers didn’t match his previous production. He’s a useful asset for rebounds and stocks when healthy, but hardly an anchor of your frontcourt. Hartenstein is best served as a depth piece around Rounds 8 and 9.

Second-year guard Ajay Mitchell benefited from J-Dubs’ absence, averaging 14-3-4 with an efficient 49/35/87 shooting split. Mitchell missed 25 games, but early in the season, he was a must-roster player. Suddenly, the Thunder have a (good) guard problem, with Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain all vying for minutes in the rotation. Of those names, I’d be watching Mitchell the most heading into next season.

The Thunder remain one of the most stacked teams in the league. Cason Wallace is a restricted free agent that OKC can match. They have $49 million in cap space and picks 12 and 17 in the upcoming draft (ridiculous). Hartenstein’s $28M expiring deal is a prime trade chip, and if he’s moved, Thomas Sorber could fast-track into a bigger role. SGA is the engine, but there’s still plenty of fantasy value with OKC since they’re such a well-coached and structured team. SGA, Chet, J-Dub, Hartenstein and Mitchell are all draftable players next season.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *