t’s the most wonderful time of year for Thunder fans. Basketball is back. Which means it’s also time for my most favorite journal of the year.
1. Thunder win opening night vs. the Rockets.
I know championship banner-raising home openers have proven to be challenging for past champions. It’s hard to flip the switch from an emotional ring and banner ceremony to competitive basketball. KD will be in the house. JDub may or may not play. Houston is a formidable opponent. I’m still picking OKC to start 1-0.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander repeats as NBA MVP.
It’s going to be an uphill battle. Most voters view Jokic as the—say it all together now—Best Player In The World! Luka is in L.A. and already has the offseason workout/motivation narrative. Every analyst is itching to crown Wemby as soon as the Spurs are competitive. If Giannis takes that Bucks roster to the playoffs, he probably deserves it. Ant has come back better every season and is creeping toward top-five territory. And then there’s SGA, just scoring an efficient 30 and winning every night. Funny to say coming off his historic season, but I’ll take the underdog.
3. Jalen Williams repeats on the All-NBA Team.
First of all, I believe in JDub’s talent as a top-15 player in the league. Secondly, and most importantly, this is me doing my part to put it out into the universe that he will recover in time from his wrist surgery to play the required number of games for postseason accolades.
4. Chet Holmgren makes the All-Star Team.
And All-Defense. And maybe even sneaks in All-NBA. The leap is coming.
5. Lu Dort will repeat as First Team All-Defense.
After years of being overlooked, The Dorture Chamber receives some well-deserved back-to-back recognition.
6. Isaiah Hartenstein will make a three-pointer.
The big man went 0-for-19 from deep last year. We just need one, Hart. Preferably at home so the OKC crowd can lose it.
7. Ajay Mitchell will be the Thunder breakout player of the year.
The second-round rookie surprised everyone by making the nightly rotation from the jump last year. Ajay was on an All-Rookie Team track before his injury. Then he dominated Summer League and flashed in preseason. He does everything well, and OKC could use another creator and playmaker off the bench.
8. Isaiah Joe shoots over 40% from three.
I always gotta give myself a layup or two in these predictions to pad my stats.
9. Thunder have three All-Defense selections.
Just close your eyes and point to the roster to decide which three will be chosen. Forced to pick, I’ll go with Chet, Dort, and JDub.
10. Brooks Barnhizer will be awarded the OKC annual “Two-Way Contract to Standard Contract” deal.
And play more Thunder games than Blue games. And lead the league in steals per 36. And never shave that mustache.
11. Jaylin Williams leads the Thunder in both triple-doubles and charges taken.
And smiles given.
12. Alex Caruso will be the default starter when starters are out.
Last year, Cason Wallace was in the starting five for 43 of his 68 games played, which means he was typically the reserve tapped in when a starter was out. Based on nothing but a one-game preseason sample size, I’ll say AC takes that role this season. This prediction brought to you by the same writer who said Caruso would start the majority of games last year.
13. I will get a pair of Shai 001’s at some point this season.
Just trying to speak it into existence, tbh.
14. Ousmane Dieng will play more games than you think he will.
Quick, how many games do you think Ous plays this season? Got the number in your head? Nope, sorry. Wrong. It’s higher.
15. Thunder will get one 2026 late-lottery pick.
OKC owns Utah’s top-8 protected pick. RIP to that one. OKC also owns Philly’s top-4 protected pick. That one will go as Joel Embiid and Paul George’s combined health go. OKC also owns the two best picks between the Thunder, Clippers, and Rockets (top-10 protected). Despite one team being way too bad, one being boom or bust, and the others being way too good, the law of probability says at least one of them should land in the lottery.
16. Mark Daigneault will say “one of 82” eighty-two times.
Coach keeps stacking days. That’s just his 0-0 mindset.
17. Thunder will not trade for an impact rotational player at the trade deadline.
This team stayed put at the deadline last year and won it all with this group. They returned the whole squad (sans Dillon Jones) and should be even better. I say they run it with this roster two straight seasons.
18. Nick Gallo signs a groundbreaking endorsement deal with Bed Bath & Beyond.
Who better to sell towels than the beloved Thunder reporter? The ads will just be re-enactments of the FanDuel Network postgame interviews.
19. Nikola Topic will cause NBA reporters to tweet something along the lines of “This is why he was a projected top-five pick.”
Me, I’m the NBA reporter who will be tweeting this. But it’s because I still believe in the talent. I had Topic pegged as the No. 3 player in his class, and we saw the prodigious playmaking this summer.
20. Chet vs. Wemby will hit an all-time fever pitch as the two finish 1-2 in DPOY voting.
Wemby will have the hype, ridiculous numbers, and the Spurs should be much improved. Chet will be the defensive anchor on the best defense and best team in the league. They’ll finish 1-2 in blocked shots. Both will be worthy winners. But that won’t stop the social media debates from being completely toxic.
21. SGA will lead NBA social media in super slo-mo viral clips on free-throw calls.
And every single one of them will be legit fouls.
22. Cason Wallace will have the shot of the year.
And it’s already happened. Look, I know it’s preseason, but nobody is going to top Wallace’s behind-the-backboard shot. We cannot let this shot be lost to the Island of Misfit Preseason Highlights.
23. Thunder will win 60 games.
OKC could be better than last season and still not achieve the 68-win milestone. The West is somehow even deeper and tougher. There’s no way to predict injuries for any team. The champs will have a target on their back every night. It’s incredibly hard to win nearly 70 games in back-to-back seasons. Winning 60+ two straight would be an impressive feat.
24. The Western Conference Finals will be the real NBA Finals.
OKC and Denver are the two best teams in the league. Whichever team survives The Battle of the Northwest will win the NBA Championship. Basically the Cowboys and 49ers in the NFC Championships of the ’90s.
25. Thunder will beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals and repeat as champs.
Yes, this is the parity era in the NBA. Yes, there have been eight different champs in the last eight seasons. Yes, this team can be the exception.
26. Aaron Wiggins gives an epic championship speech sequel.
And immediately retires to travel to every school and conference center in America as the nation’s foremost motivational speaker.
