Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topić (44) drives the ball against Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (18) during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
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Regular season NBA action won’t begin until later this month, but the preseason is officially here. That means teams around the league are already taking the floor to compete in preparation for the 82-game slate ahead.
These games don’t have much consequence as it relates to final scores, but this is a very important time in any team’s offseason. This will be an opportunity for players to refine what they’ve worked on in the offseason, for young players to play valuable reps and to build chemistry as a team.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, a six-game preseason slate will begin on Monday night on the road against the Charlotte Hornets.
- Oct. 5: at Charlotte Hornets
- Oct. 6: at Dallas Mavericks
- Oct. 9: Charlotte Hornets
- Oct. 11: at Indiana Pacers
- Oct. 14: at Milwaukee Bucks
- Oct. 17: Denver Nuggets
These six games will serve multiple purposes for the Thunder, but will primarily serve as a chance for players to get back in game shape and continue meshing as a roster. While this group just went through a deep playoff run several months ago, it’s important to get back into a rhythm with one another.
What are the primary storylines entering this preseason stretch for Oklahoma City?
The Role of Nikola Topic
While there’s no question that Nikola Topic is tremendously talented, it’s still unclear just how much he’ll play this upcoming season. He’ll technically be a rookie given it’s his first NBA action, so a steep learning curve is expected. The preseason will serve as a first look at what he can do against real NBA competition, which should provide clarity on what type of role he could play in the regular season.
Ousmane Dieng’s Future
It’s felt this way for a couple of years now, but this truly is make-or-break time for Ousmane Dieng. The former lottery pick has dealt with injuries of late and still hasn’t found a way to crack the rotation, and given he’s nearing the end of his rookie scale contract, decisions need to be made this season. As such, the preseason will be a significant milestone for Dieng, who will look to prove he belongs on this team and contribute in meaningful games.
The Offensive Game of Chet Holmgren
Already a top-five defensive player in the league, Chet Holmgren will be All-Star level if he can polish his offensive game. He showed flashes of doing that before his significant hip injury last season, but never got back to it upon his return. Now fully healthy with an offseason of work under his belt, the preseason is a time in which he can try out some of his new moves in game action.
Team Perimeter Shooting
If there’s one flaw when evaluating this Thunder team, it’s the 3-point shooting accuracy. Both in the regular season and the playoffs during Oklahoma City’s title run last season, the perimeter shooting was extremely inconsistent. Team 3-point shooting tends to be a year-to-year thing, so getting off on the right foot in the preseason is important to build momentum.
These six preseason contests won’t count toward the Thunder’s record or conference standings, but will be very important as Oklahoma City looks to make another championship push in the 2025-26 campaign.
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