JJ Redick High on Thunder's Five-Year Outlook: 'No. 1 is Oklahoma City'

It sure feels like Oklahoma City has arrived.

After a win on Tuesday to kick off the Thunder’s west coast road trip, things are certainly trending in the right direction. Oklahoma City is locked into the play-in at 36-36, while sitting just 2.0 games behind Phoenix for home court advantage in the playoffs. A feel-good story has quickly transitioned to a mad-dash towards the finish line.

The Thunder’s core can do no wrong, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams all seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time. The trio has led Oklahoma City to its most successful season in over two years, and now, the team is on the brink of returning to the postseason.

As the youngest team in the NBA, with a treasure chest of future draft picks on the horizon, it’s hard to think of another organization better positioned than the Thunder. JJ Redick, former NBA player and now well-respected analyst, couldn’t agree more.

“I think there’s two teams that stand out to me. No. 1 is Oklahoma City,” Redick said on First Take. It’s interesting because at the beginning of the year, ESPN did their future power rankings for the next five years — Oklahoma City was 23rd.”

OKC has now won eight of its last ten games and Gilgeous-Alexander is starting to sneak up on the backend of MVP ballots. With the parity of the current NBA and the direction the league is headed in, the Thunder’s championship window looks like it’ll be perfectly timed.

Whether the Thunder uses its future draft picks or trades them for a star in the near future, the roster structure has plenty of options moving forward. Oklahoma City’s patience and progress is now paying off, though.

“What has happened this year?” Redick asked. “Shai took another jump, Josh Giddey has improved, Jalen Williams looks like a star and is making a late push for Rookie of the Year.

“And I think when you talk about the future of teams, which team over the next five years — you don’t just look at the players. You look at the front office, you look at ownership and you look at the coaching staff. For me, Oklahoma City has a great coach and a great front office — you have to factor that in.”

After Redick's segment, Stephen A. Smith reminded the former shooting guard that Oklahoma City's highest drafted player hasn't even played a second of basketball yet. Factor Chet Holmgren into the future plans, and the Thunder's ceiling might be unlimited.

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