Top 10 NBA Contenders: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Thunder too young or legit threat? | Hoops Tonight

Top 10 NBA Contenders: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Thunder too young or legit threat? | Hoops Tonight

What’s up everybody thanks as always for supporting the show it would mean a lot to me if you would take a second to scroll down and hit that subscribe button to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channel and then follow me on social media on Tik Tok Instagram and Twitter

So you guys don’t miss any of our content over the course of this season all right let’s talk some basketball starting with you Carson the Oklahoma City Thunder are you higher or lower on the Oklahoma City Thunder than you were to start the season I am definitely

Higher and I would be higher on them than a team like the Suns because I think yeah there is OB viously the playoff experience factor and the fact that the Suns have KD book and Beal but I think that SGA could easily be the best player in that series I think that

He is a dominant force and I think that the Supporting Cast in OKC is excellent I have been a big Jaylen Williams guy oh my goodness though he is so good the tear that he is on this month I think they’ve played 10 games he shot like 65%

From the field 60% from Deep while he’s giving you 21 points six assists a game just a problem athletically a good playmaker a really good shooter and I think that Chad added another dimension here in terms of dynamic play finisher really good three-point shooter stretch big another guy who you trust to handle

A bit to playmake and then defensively is an awesome rim protector the limitation they have is a experience does matter I think that they’re good enough to where they could win a first round series just based off of talent but making a run of the finals is like

Another conversation and be they are so slight in the front Court they’re one of the weakest rebounding teams in the league Chad is an elite rim protector he is not a very good rebounding five and the other dudes around him like they have athletic Wings they just don’t have

Big physical wings and so I think that as well as they may defend all around that’s going to put a bit of a ceiling on them but I love the Thunder I thought they would take a leap this year to be like a 48 win team really tough first

Round out maybe they sneak a first round series and I think that they are clearly ahead of schedule and the future is insanely bright cuz I mentioned the big three but like I love keson Wallace I think that they can move Josh Giddy and I think that he has started to

Recuperate his value a bit because he’s been playing better he didn’t look like an NBA player for like a month and a half this year uh so the future is crazy bright but they’re just not quite there really as a matter of Youth largely the NBA season is in full swing

And when I can’t get enough of the action on the court I spice things up by betting on draftking Sportsbook an official partner of the NBA right now new customers can bet five bucks and get 200 instantly in bonus bets I was looking at the lines for making the

Playoffs today and you can get the Lakers at plus 115 to make the playoffs and the Warriors check this out at plus 205 to make the playoffs download the DraftKings Sportsbook app with code Hoops that’s ho o o PS new customers can bet five bucks on the NBA and get 200

Instantly in bonus bets only on draftking Sportsbook with code Hoops that’s h o o PS the crown is yours I wholeheartedly agree with Carson I’m much higher on the Thunder uh coming in I want to give a massive shout out to Chad holgren for what he’s done on the interior uh defending completely

Transforming the inside of his defense and just for the effort that OKC gives night toight uh I do want to ask you Jason if you have any ideas I know we’ve talked about this periodically uh I mean is there a move you guys think they should explore at the Dead to accelerate this

Timeline I still lean towards Lori Markin and would be the one that that I’d be looking at but if Lor’s unavailable I’d hang tight like I don’t think Jeremy Grant’s that guy I don’t think DeAndre Hunter is that guy I don’t think I don’t think there’s like a

Obvious guy that they should like Carson mentioned this and this is the true truth like we we’re all higher on the Thunder and we were already high on the Thunder before the season like I was with Carson I thought they’d be right in the mix and instead they’re like better

Than most most of the teams like like that’s that’s where it’s been again like I want to be clear I put Minnesota and Oklahoma City together Minnesota’s Further Along on that path like to be clear Minnesota’s Further Along on that path but Oklahoma City’s on the same

Path and what I mean by that is like they’re both on like a freight train towards like Bonafide year in year out Championship contention led by a Bonafide Superstar I think sgaa and ant both are like legitimate Superstars I just don’t necessarily see unless unless they feel like throwing the Godfather

Offer at at marinin I just don’t see the point of rushing that process simply because of the fact that they’re not going to win it this year they’re just they’re just not they’re too small they’re they’re way too small they’re not going to win it this year that’s not

To say they can’t but it’s like their chances are extremely slim on that front not only are they’re young and they’re small those are two that that’s like that’s a that’s a that’s a death sentence in the in the NBA playoffs in my opinion so like the other thing too

Is You could argue even on the Markin in front like and I’ll just pitch this one back to you guys like wouldn’t they be better off looking for more of a dirty work four like wouldn’t they be better off looking for like the next Aaron Gordon

Oh probably but it would be tough for me to pass on Markin in to some extent I just think that he’s such an awesome fit offensively he’s so good first of all and I don’t think that you’re going to be able to pry him away from Utah right

Now that’s a team that has won 15 of their last 21 they almost beat the Thunder last night will hardy is an amazing coach but that’s January basketball Carson that’s a young those oh oh the overall stretch yes absolutely that’s a young fast team in January that’s so classic totally agree I want

To be clear I don’t think that the Jazz make the playoffs this year if they did I think they get boat raced I think when you look at the top 11 teams in the west there are 10 teams that are more talented than the Utah Jazz pretty

Clearly but Lowry is that dude uh he’s amazing I could talk about him toight no end but what if I offer you six picks I mean if you give me six picks and if you give me like Kayon Wallace because you got to make the contracts it’s easy to match contracts with Lowry

Because he makes $18 million a year is the other thing yeah I would do that if I were the Jazz so so then why why not and why not give yourself an additional playoff run to build chemistry and battle scars with that group I would I I

Would I would absolutely be Allin on Lowry if I were the Thunder but I also agree with you if there were an equally good player in the archetype of an Aaron Gordon where it’s like hey this is a dude who can defend the post at a really high level Lowry’s a really good

Rebounder but he’s certainly progressed defensively he’s just not going to be a legitimate plus there but if you can get Lowry I get Lowry because I think Lowry is probably a top 25 player in the league he might be the most underrated star in basketball he is just a hyper

Efficient crazy versatile offensive weapon who doesn’t need the ball who does add size who is not slight like he’s strong he’s physical I would love that for them I think that’s a home run go ahead Logan I mean I just think that’s a home run I would do that in a heartbeat like

Uh IT addresses everything the size the spacing screw defense at that point guys let’s just go score 135 points a game man well and I do still think it would make their defense a little bit better because you would at least have another big body and plus rebounder on the

Interior but it wouldn’t really move the needle there well well the other thing too is you don’t need speed out of that four spot you need verticality you need someone that can help in low man situations uh like cleaning up messes when Chad leaves his feet cleaning up

The defensive glass like that’s where that’s the case for Markin and is like Aaron Gordon is one of the most important perimeter Defenders for Denver because of all the big wings in the west like he’s the guy who guards kawhai he’s the guy who guards LeBron James like

That that that’s why they need uh Aaron Gordon but like for OKC it’s like that’s lud Dort like lud D’s taking that assignment so they can kind of like use so uh they can actually use Markin in as more of a low Man

Jason Timpf is joined by the Nerd Sesh guys to discuss his #9 contender at the NBA’s midseason point, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and OKC ready to make a run in the NBA Playoffs? Who are some players the Thunder can target to push them into the elite contender tier?

Timeline:
00:00 – Thunder way ahead of schedule
03:27 – Who can OKC pursue?

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/Q1a6JR5QVuk

Follow Jason Timpf on social:
Tweets by _JasonLT
https://www.instagram.com/jtimpf15/

Shop the hottest gear in all of sports podcasting: https://thevolume.com/shop-all-new

Follow us on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/thevolumesports
Tweets by TheVolumeSports
https://www.facebook.com/TheVolumeSports

@thevolumesports

Learn more about the Volume:
https://www.thevolume.com

#nba #thunder #oklahomacitythunder #okc #okcthunder #shaigilgeousalexander #chetholmgren #nbaplayoffs #nbafinals #basketball #sports