...last season,...the Thunder were... the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history.
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"Just assimilate into the culture, man," Alex Caruso told ESPN.
...2022 lottery picks Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren proved themselves as star-caliber complements to Gilgeous-Alexander. Instead of trading for another star in the wake of last spring's second-round playoff exit, Thunder general manager Sam Presti targeted top-notch role players who fit the Thunder's culture and style of play, signing Hartenstein and trading for Caruso, who became the oldest player on the roster (30) when he was acquired in a summer trade with the Chicago Bulls.
As this season nears the midway point, Oklahoma City is on a 69-win pace despite Holmgren playing in only 10 games before suffering a fractured pelvis that has sidelined him since Nov. 11.
Rival executives and coaches widely believe that the Thunder are in the early stages of an extended window as a contender...
It's a deep roster full of under-the-radar developmental success stories occupying key roles, the sort of team that is the result of tremendous scouting, which is still how Presti views himself at the core.
"...you take those people, you put 'em in a stable environment, you educate 'em on the value of all the invisible things, and you hammer that over and over again. You hammer that environment over and over again. You hammer those messages over and over again and then you double down on the people that you have and just allow that to grow and compound."
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...GROUP POSTGAME interviews...