{"id":751981,"date":"2026-06-21T17:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T17:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/751981\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T17:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T17:35:16","slug":"multiple-okc-thunder-players-are-set-to-take-a-leap-next-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/751981\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple OKC Thunder Players Are Set To Take A Leap Next Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6t\">One of the best teams in the league is looking to get even better.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6w\">The Oklahoma City Thunder have been left with a bad taste in their mouth as they were eliminated in the conference finals this season. Now, as the offseason is in full swing, OKC will have to do everything in its power to make sure it gets back to competing for an NBA championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">The Thunder have all the pieces that they need, and now it\u2019s all about the work the players will put in to make sure they are the best versions of themselves going into next season. OKC has multiple players who could turn into true stars if they make that final jump next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"72\">Here are three players who could take that leap next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01kvk28gy0hydacyez5x.jpg\" alt=\"wallac\" title=\"wallac\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7c\"\/><\/p>\n<p>May 24, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) moves the ball in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game four of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>Cason Wallace<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7j\">The primary defensive guard<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/thunder\/onsi\/okc-thunder-hoping-cason-wallace-s-offensive-game-will-continue-to-grow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> showcased his offensive abilities<\/a> at the end of last season, and hopefully, they continue to grow. He shot 48.4% from beyond the arc in the postseason, always finding a way to hit a big three whenever the Thunder needed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7m\">Wallace has always been known for his defense, as he made the All-NBA Defensive Second Team, averaging 1.9 steals per game. If he can get his offense on the same level and keep hitting shots consistently, Wallace could have a big year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01kvk2a2zske5mqkz9me.jpg\" alt=\"Mitchel\" title=\"Mitchel\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7w\"\/><\/p>\n<p>May 20, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) shoots as San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) defends during the third quarter during game two of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>Ajay Mitchell<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"83\">Mitchell already made quite the leap between his first and second seasons, but if he is able to steer clear of injuries, his third year in the NBA could be his best yet. Mitchell became one of the Thunder\u2019s best players in the postseason, as he was second in points per game with 15.1.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"86\">Now with a full new season ahead, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/thunder\/onsi\/ajay-mitchell-having-the-ball-in-his-hands-must-be-a-priority-for-okc-thunder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">hopefully more minutes and touches <\/a>for the rising star, the young guard could turn into one of the best backup guards in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01kvk2bs6h0za9g2abcx.jpg\" alt=\"Holmgre\" title=\"Holmgre\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"8g\"\/><\/p>\n<p>May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard Dylan Harper (2) during the first quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>Chet Holmgren<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8n\">Yes, Chet Holmgren is definitely already a star and has proven himself to be one of the best big men in the NBA, but there\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/thunder\/onsi\/chet-holmgren-must-continue-his-progression-next-season\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> more to be done<\/a>. Holmgren\u2019s production took a dive in the postseason after the best regular season of his career. He still averaged almost 15 points and 8.2 rebounds, but couldn\u2019t seem to come through for OKC when it mattered most.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8q\">But exactly for this reason, I think he could have the biggest leap of any OKC player. Holmgren has proved he is a guy who will get in the gym and work, and after one of the weakest showings of his career in Game 7 of the conference finals, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll see that form of Holmgren ever again. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the best teams in the league is looking to get even better.\u00a0 The Oklahoma City Thunder&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":751982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-751981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=751981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/751982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=751981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=751981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=751981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}