Oklahoma City Thunder fantasy basketball season recap

by Zak Hanshew, Rotoworld

Previous team recaps: DET, WAS, POR, CHA, SAS, TOR, MEM, UTA, BKN, ATL, CHI, HOU, SAC, GSW, MIA, PHI, ORL, LAL, IND, CLE, PHX, NOR, MIL, NYK, LAC, MIN, DEN

At a glance:

Record: 57-25 (1st, West) 

Offensive Rating: 118.3 (3rd)

Defensive Rating: 111.0 (4th) 

Net Rating: 7.3 (2nd) 

Pace: 100.8 (5th) 

2024 NBA Draft Picks: 12

The Thunder have been far outside the title contender conversation for nearly a decade, but that changed in 2023-24. Oklahoma City went to the Western Conference Finals in the 2015-16 season and followed that up with four straight first-round exits and three straight missed playoffs.

The Thunder were 40-42 in 2022-23, but the team took a major leap forward in 2023-24, adding 15 wins and claiming the top seed in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed that last season’s top-3 finish was hardly a fluke. Jalen Williams followed up his stellar rookie campaign with an even better Year 2 effort, and Chet Holmgren compiled a monster first season.

The future is bright for the up-and-coming Thunder, and fantasy managers have many reasons to be excited. How did the team’s players fare in fantasy hoops during the 2023-24 season, and how should managers approach them for the upcoming season and beyond? We’ve got you covered below!

Fantasy Standout: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SGA was second in per-game fantasy value and totals behind averages of 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.3 triples while shooting 53.5% from the floor and 87.4% from the free-throw line. The rebounds, assists, steals and FG% were all career-highs. In addition to being one of only four players to average 30 points, SGA tied De’Aaron Fox for the league lead in steals per game, and Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in total steals.

Health concerns made him a value play in 2022-23, and he showed his sustained durability in 2023-24 with 75 games played and 34.0 minutes per night. As an added bonus, his 2.2 turnovers were his lowest mark in four seasons.

SGA carried an ADP of 5.4 in 2023-24 fantasy drafts, and he should be a top-5 pick…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-fantasy-basketball-093000871.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-19 09:30:00

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