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The Bricktown Brief · Morning

Wallace's Late Surge Sets the Bar for Camp

Nothing new since Sept. 15, but Cason Wallace's late-season surge sets a high camp bar.

71.3%Wallace True Shootingfinal 10 games, last season
+2.010-Game Margindown from full-season average
Oct. 6Next Gamepreseason opener, first of four
$216.2MPayrollabove the apron
By the Thunder Nightly Desk · Thursday, September 24

Oklahoma City's roster has been unchanged since Sept. 15, when Lindy Waters departed, and camp opens with the record still at 0-0. Five contributors carry day-to-day tags — knee, hamstring, ankle, calf and lower-leg — each targeting an Oct. 1 return, four days before the preseason slate begins Oct. 6.

Thunder Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Quiet Since Mid-September

No transactions have followed the Sept. 15 news that Lindy Waters left for a deal in Beijing. The 18-man group heading into camp is otherwise the same one that closed last season, with Sam Presti holding off on further additions for now.

Wallace's Late Push

Cason Wallace closed last season on a tear, posting a 71.3 percent true-shooting mark over his final 10 games, a sharp jump from his mark across the full 2025-26 season. Oklahoma City's per-game scoring margin over that same 10-game stretch fell to plus-2.0, well below its full-season pace, a reminder that the results stayed positive even as the edge narrowed.

The Camp Question

Whether that late efficiency and the tighter margins carry into a season Oklahoma City opens as defending champion is the real test of camp. The group working back from injury, plus a new mix of complementary pieces, will help decide it before the Oct. 20 opener at San Antonio. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren remain the frame the roster is built around; Wallace's late surge is a sign of the depth forming behind them.

How efficient was Cason Wallace to close last season?

Over his final 10 games of the 2025-26 season, Wallace posted a 71.3 percent true-shooting mark, a sharp jump from his season-long number.

When do the Thunder play their first preseason game?

Oklahoma City opens its preseason slate Oct. 6 at home against New Orleans, four days after its day-to-day players target an Oct. 1 return.

By the Thunder Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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