Thunder Nightly

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 28 and starting his ninth season. Last season he averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 33.2 minutes over 68 games. He shot 38.6 percent from three and posted a +11.6 plus-minus, the best on the team. Chet Holmgren was the second option. He averaged 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 69 games and shot 36.2 percent from deep. Jalen Williams also averaged 17.1 points, with 5.5 assists, but he played only 33 games and shot 29.9 percent from three. A full season from Williams would give the offense a third creator. Last season OKC had an offensive rating of 117.6, a defensive rating of 106.5 and a net rating of 11.1. The team scored 119.0 points per game.

The wing rotation looks different. Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins both signed with the Hawks. Isaiah Joe went to the Pistons. Payton Sandfort is gone and unsigned. That means OKC lost a defensive stopper and two bench shooters. The roster has five rookies: center Aday Mara, 21, guards Bennett Stirtz and Josh Dix, guard Otega Oweh and center Thomas Sorber, who is 20. Jared McCain is the shooter most likely to absorb Joe's minutes. He shot 38.5 percent from three last season and averaged 8.3 points in 67 games. Ajay Mitchell is another guard who will see more of the ball. He averaged 13.6 points in 57 games last season. The veterans are still here too. Alex Caruso is 32 and Kenrich Williams is 31, and each brings experience off the bench.

Three Thunder players are out. Nikola Topic has a back injury, and his estimated return date is Oct. 26. Thomas Sorber is out with a right knee injury, and his estimated return date is also Oct. 26. Oct. 26 is the home game against Phoenix, so both players could be back for the second night of the back-to-back. Topic played only 10 games last season. In 16.0 minutes per game, he averaged 5.2 points and 4.4 assists and shot 40.0 percent from three. Otega Oweh's injury is the serious one. The rookie guard has a right Achilles injury, and his estimated return date is July 1, 2027. Until Topic and Sorber return, OKC has fewer options at guard and in the frontcourt. Isaiah Hartenstein, Holmgren and Mara are the bigs available for the opener.

Cason Wallace and the Thunder agreed to a five-year, $139 million extension, according to an Oct. 19 report. Wallace is 22 and starting his third season. Last season he played 77 games, more than anyone else on the roster. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.6 minutes and shot 35.1 percent from three. His plus-minus was +6.9. Wallace's value is more than his scoring. With Dort now in Atlanta, Wallace becomes the guard most likely to take on the tough perimeter matchups. The front office also cut the roster down before the opener. Reports say OKC waived four training camp invitees on Oct. 17.

The Thunder went 2-3 in their last five games before Denver. On Oct. 7, they lost at home to Milwaukee, 128-126. On Oct. 12, they lost at Atlanta, 113-110. On Oct. 13, they beat Indiana at home, 114-112. The worst result came at Houston on Oct. 15, a 116-89 loss. OKC finished strong with a 116-104 win at San Antonio on Oct. 20. That win gives the Thunder a one-game winning streak heading into tonight. Three of the five games were decided by three points or fewer. The 27-point loss in Houston is worth keeping in mind, because OKC goes back to Houston on Oct. 31.