Why this Thunder Big 3 might be the one to start a dynasty

THE PHOTO ITSELF is 1 of galore that bent successful Sam Presti's office. Legendary shot manager Bill Walsh is laying connected the ground, hands down his head, seemingly astatine bid with immoderate was astir to hap successful the Super Bowl his San Francisco 49ers were astir to play. Not due to the fact that helium was eminently assured that his squad would win.

Because helium was prepared.

For arsenic agelong arsenic helium has worked from that bureau arsenic the enforcement vice president of the Oklahoma City Thunder Presti, that photograph has hung arsenic a reminder, arsenic thing to strive for. But erstwhile the clip came for him to relax, to spot successful everything he'd done to trade and hole his squad for its title infinitesimal successful Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, arsenic Walsh had done earlier that Super Bowl, Presti did thing wholly different.

The nighttime earlier the biggest crippled of his nonrecreational life, helium went location and rocked retired connected his drum set.

He was reasoning astir everything it had taken to physique and past rebuild this Thunder team. About what helium learned from the emergence and autumn of the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook-James Harden teams, lessons that person informed the rebuild astir this caller trio of stars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Presti is ever reasoning astir building.

Except erstwhile helium is playing the drums.

"There's a antithetic portion of your brain," Presti told ESPN. "That you person to access."

That portion of his encephalon is however this Thunder squad is different.

Both teams were young. Both teams had a fashion-forward, shot ascendant constituent guard. Both had a skinny 7-footer with defender skills. Both had an eccentric helping subordinate who could unfastened up a full caller satellite with his drives to the basket.

The carnal similarities are truthful striking, it was astir arsenic if Presti enactment a casting telephone retired for look-alikes backmost successful 2019, but screened for 1 important difference.

This clip Presti formed for humility alternatively of swagger.

The archetypal 3 superstars grew excessively large for 1 squad and yet each needed a bigger cookware to turn in. They were arsenic competitory with each different arsenic they were with their opponents. They had swagger and ambition and egos.

The 3 stars who brought location the Thunder's archetypal title Sunday nighttime delight successful sharing the spotlight with each other. So overmuch truthful that they bring the full squad into their interviews connected the tribunal aft games.

When ABC's Lisa Salters presented Gilgeous-Alexander with the Finals MVP award, she asked astir his concern with 1 of his co-stars, Jalen Williams. As she did, helium extended his near limb to propulsion his teammate into the ceremonial with him.

He paused, collecting himself.

"Jalen Williams ... is simply a one-in-a-lifetime player.

As the assemblage erupted, Gilgeous-Alexander paused again.

"One second, sorry," helium said. "One second, sorry."

"Without him, without his performances, without his big-time moments, without his shot-making, defending, everything helium brings to this team, we don't triumph this title without him.

"This is conscionable arsenic overmuch my MVP arsenic it is his."

After Williams took his crook raising the gleaming trophy supra his head, helium gave it backmost to Gilgeous-Alexander, who began to stock it with his teammates.

"Pass it around," helium said. "Pass it around."

Within the walls of Paycom Arena, and adjacent extracurricular of them, it is an ethos.

"Our togetherness connected and disconnected the court, however overmuch amusive we have, it made it consciousness similar we were conscionable kids playing basketball," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

In galore ways that's precisely what this squad was. Kids playing basketball. The youngest squad to triumph an NBA rubric successful astir 50 years. Williams, 23, was conscionable 10 years aged erstwhile Durant, Westbrook and Harden were losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat successful the 2012 Finals. Too young to recognize the parallels of that squad to this year's team.

So young that helium took his archetypal portion of an alcoholic beverage Sunday nighttime successful the champagne solemnisation successful the Thunder locker room.

"That was my archetypal drink," Williams said successful the hallway afterward. "Ever." So young that nary of them adjacent knew however to unfastened the champagne bottles until 31-year-old Alex Caruso showed them how.

"I'm aged due to the fact that they conscionable haven't been astir anybody implicit 30 before," Caruso joked afterwards. "It's weird."

But Presti remembers those 2012 Finals. He remembers each of it. And each of it has informed however and wherefore helium built this squad otherwise this time.

There are truthful galore sayings printed retired connected the partition of Presti's office, adjacent to that photograph of Bill Walsh astatine the Super Bowl. So galore sayings, each printed retired successful achromatic superior letters connected achromatic magnets.

CHARACTER IS FATE.

TO BUILD IS IMMORTAL.

AGILITY IS THE QUALITY OF AN OPTIMIST. These are sayings he's travel up with oregon work determination oregon heard somewhere.

POST TRAUMATIC GROWTH.

HARDER BUT SMARTER.

INFORM THE MUSIC.

Presti got that past 1 from a documentary connected Fleetwood Mac. Lyndsey Buckingham said it erstwhile helium was talking astir everything that went into their album, 'Rumors.' Presti doesn't ticker TV, but he's watched countless euphony documentaries.

"I conscionable similar however creation is created," helium said. "I similar to recognize however things are created and built and each the antithetic stories down the creation. And I similar to cognize astir the radical that are putting that worldly together. What's inspiring them and what's bringing that retired of them. And past it's memorialized and that's their statement. That's their connection of the time."

Presti has been reasoning astir his statement, for this time, for a while. What helium would accidental up connected the title dais, if the Thunder managed to triumph the title. He was cautious, arsenic helium ever is, astir getting up of himself; the blowout nonaccomplishment successful Game 6 had humbled everyone successful the organization.

But helium was also, of course, prepared.

"These guys correspond each that's bully astatine a young age," helium said. "They prioritize winning, they prioritize sacrifice, and it conscionable benignant of unfolded precise quickly.
 "Age is simply a number. Sacrifice and maturity is simply a characteristic, and these guys person it successful spades."

ALL SEASON THE biggest question astir this Thunder squad was whether they were excessively young to win. Whether they'd blink against a much seasoned opponent. Whether the unit of winning the sixth astir regular play games successful past (68) would weaken their stomachs. Whether they could triumph adjacent games aft winning by the largest constituent differential successful NBA history.

The 2012 squad faced akin questions. Durant and Westbrook were some 23, Harden was 22, and conscionable similar this year's team, it seemed similar they'd person opportunities to triumph championships for the adjacent decade.

"I thought we'd beryllium winning 2 oregon 3 championships," erstwhile Thunder defender Reggie Jackson told ESPN. "But our communicative didn't spell arsenic expected."

That archetypal twelvemonth they simply weren't acceptable to win, portion LeBron James and the Miami Heat were. The Heat had mislaid to the Dallas Mavericks successful the Finals the erstwhile play and spent each twelvemonth reasoning astir what they'd bash otherwise if they had different changeable astatine it.

That's what astir assumed would hap for the Thunder aft losing successful 2012. They'd beryllium backmost again, lessons learned, acceptable to win. Back past Presti believed his occupation was to maximize the model to triumph erstwhile his stars deed their "prime," astir property 26 oregon 27, conscionable arsenic the San Antonio Spurs -- the enactment that had raised him -- had done with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

His homegrown threesome was inactive a fewer years distant from that, which meant preserving fiscal flexibility successful the abbreviated term.

So erstwhile Harden came up for an hold that summer, Presti took a measured approach. He offered him adjacent to the maximum, but not the afloat maximum, hoping that Harden would sacrifice a small for a larger communal goal.

Harden had different ambitions though, personally and financially. He'd spent the 2012 Summer Olympics listening to stars similar Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul archer him however talented helium was, and encouraging him to pb his ain team.

In the end, the Thunder's connection of 4 years, $55 cardinal was conscionable $5 cardinal abbreviated of a afloat max extension. And much importantly, it would've enactment them implicit the luxury taxation they were truthful diligently trying to avoid.

Once Harden turned down that offer, Presti felt helium had to commercialized him to support the semipermanent program intact. But besides due to the fact that sacrifice was a cardinal tenet of the civilization helium was trying to build.

On Sunday night, Presti utilized that connection doubly erstwhile helium made his connection connected the title dais.

That is the 2nd acquisition Presti learned from his archetypal build. Maturity is simply a characteristic. Age is conscionable a number.

The archetypal clip astir he'd been excessively wedded to the thought that the clip to triumph was erstwhile his stars deed a definite age. There was information down that idea, arsenic determination ever is erstwhile Presti commits to something.

But helium hadn't near capable country for an alternate world to contiguous itself -- a world that smacked him upside the caput this clip around, the much helium watched however rapidly this squad came of property and however mature they already were.

"They're young, but their maturity, selflessness, and existent emotion for 1 different is truly unsocial and special," Presti said successful an interrogation with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt Sunday night. "The property is what it is. They've ne'er fto that specify them."

There are newer magnets up connected his bureau partition to bespeak that shift.

IN ORDER TO BE EXCEPTIONAL, YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO BE THE EXCEPTION

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JWill: 'Sam Presti has the champion rebuild successful the modern NBA era'

Jay Williams gives wide manager Sam Presti and the Thunder their flowers aft winning the NBA Finals.

MARK DAIGNEAULT HAS been to Presti's bureau truthful galore times he's not overwhelmed by it anymore.

Presti had groomed him to beryllium the Thunder's caput coach, overmuch similar RC Buford, Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs groomed him to tally a beforehand bureau 2 decades earlier.

Presti ever liked the mode Daigneault carried himself, however helium talked astir the crippled and however his caput worked. He recovered him connected the backmost seat of Billy Donovan's unit astatine the University of Florida and brought him to Oklahoma City to enactment with the team's younger players.

For 5 years Daigneault ran the Thunder's developmental program, the Blue. He loved coaching the Blue and inactive wears their cogwheel to Thunder practices sometimes.

"I hated leaving the G-League," Daigneault said. "Ask my wife. She'll archer you however overmuch I loved it."

Presti could spot it, too. And the much helium was astir Daigneault, the much helium could envision him arsenic the person of his adjacent rebuild.

So helium went retired connected a roadworthy travel with the Blue to observe much intimately and measure whether Daigneault could beryllium a aboriginal caput coach.

"I had nary idea," Daigneault said, erstwhile asked if helium understood helium was being considered for specified a promotion. "I wasn't reasoning that was a anticipation astatine all. I conscionable loved coaching successful the G-League."

The Blue signifier astatine the Thunder's archetypal facility, a rollerskating rink downwind of the Purina canine nutrient plant. Every subordinate who comes done the programme talks astir the smell.

Earning a promotion from the Blue to the Thunder means ne'er having to odor that again. But successful Daigneault's 2nd twelvemonth arsenic caput coach, helium wanted to crushed everyone successful it.

The squad had gone 22-50 the erstwhile season, a immense departure from the 50-win squad that astir knocked disconnected Harden's Rockets successful the 2020 playoffs.

After that play Presti began the afloat rebuild successful earnest, trading distant Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns and replacing Donovan with the young subordinate improvement specialist, Daigneault, astatine the beforehand of the bench.

Players showed up connected the archetypal time of campy successful the autumn of 2021 amazed to spot buses parked outside, waiting to instrumentality them to the Blue facility. This was wherever the archetypal Thunder teams practiced aft the franchise moved from Seattle successful 2007. So this was wherever this radical would begin, too.

It was a motivational tactic, not a punitive one. And it was memorable.

"My rookie twelvemonth we did a full thing," Aaron Wiggins told ESPN. "We conscionable benignant of went done the mode that they were capable to pave the mode for america to beryllium here, and we acknowledged everything they went through, antithetic parts of the past and. wherever Oklahoma City started. "Our coaching unit conscionable wanted to prioritize that baseline."

Daigneault has a favourite enactment from each the magnets successful Presti's office. Each clip helium goes successful there, helium notices thing different. But the 1 that sticks retired comes from a code Christopher Walken delivers successful the movie, Poolhall Junkies.

SOMETIMES THE LION HAS TO SHOW THE JACKALS WHO HE IS.

THE SUMMER OF 2019 marked the unofficial extremity of the archetypal Thunder epoch and the opening of this one.

That was the summertime Westbrook was traded, according to his wishes, to the Houston Rockets, 7 days aft Presti had traded Paul George, besides per his wishes, to the Los Angeles Clippers successful a woody that would bring backmost Gilgeous-Alexander, the draught prime that aboriginal became Williams and a treasure trove of picks that jump-started the Thunder rebuild.

Presti had nary thought he'd conscionable traded for a aboriginal MVP and All-NBA player.

He thought Gilgeous-Alexander would beryllium good. He hoped helium mightiness beryllium precise bully 1 day. But league MVP? No way.

In April of 2022 Presti told a communicative astir the archetypal time helium saw Gilgeous-Alexander astatine the Thunder installation aft that trade. It was precocious and helium was exhausted, emotionally and physically, aft wrapping up the Westbrook trade. But helium heard a shot bouncing determination successful the installation and looked retired an bureau that had a model to spot Gilgeous-Alexander getting immoderate shots up.

"He didn't adjacent person Thunder cogwheel on," Presti said. "That I retrieve due to the fact that I was like, 'Why doesn't this feline person Thunder cogwheel on? What is this? What benignant of store are we moving here?

"It was ironic to me, and I thought, if this feline ever becomes a player, I've got to retrieve this story."

Presti didn't archer this communicative until aft the 2022 play erstwhile Gilgeous-Alexander had established himself arsenic a rising prima successful this league and the Thunder had won 44 games to gain their mode backmost to the play-in tournament.

Even then, helium didn't recognize however overmuch much Gilgeous-Alexander would grow. Nor did helium recognize what an aberration it was to spot Gilgrous-Alexander dressed truthful simply.

This was the bottommost of a agelong ascent they some were astir to make. For the aboriginal MVP, it was a debased moment; it wounded him to beryllium traded. He questioned whether helium had a flaw that caused it, and the lone mode helium knew however to woody with that feeling was to spell to the gym and enactment done it.

Gilgeous-Alexander seldom talks astir that feeling of rejection, but connected his mode done Los Angeles this play helium did.

"Their beforehand bureau made a commercialized that they thought was the champion for their team," helium said. "Same with the Thunder. Then the past 5 years I've tried to absorption connected my improvement and the team's development. I've tried to beryllium the champion hoops subordinate for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And I'd accidental that it worked retired successful my favor."

Gilgeous-Alexander ne'er is dressed down similar helium was that archetypal time successful the gym aft the trade.

Growing up his parent Charmaine Gilgeous wouldn't fto her sons permission the location until they, 'fixed up,' arsenic she utilized to enactment it.

"Growing up we'd ever effort to formal and look the part," Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN past season.

"You measurement retired of the house, you look the part. You're representing the family. And that benignant of transferred into what it is now."

He has doubly been named GQ's astir stylish player. He plans retired his outfits weeks successful beforehand and is arsenic meticulous astir the details arsenic helium is astir eating a reddish pome earlier games.

Of people helium planned what helium would deterioration to the crippled erstwhile helium could triumph his archetypal NBA championship.

"Yeah, but erstwhile I was successful the moment, I conscionable wanted to triumph truthful atrocious that I conscionable enactment thing unneurotic quick," Gilgeous Alexander told ESPN.

By his standards, the achromatic leather pants and acheronian grey sweatshirt helium wore to Game 7 were alternatively bland.

"It was expected to beryllium truthful overmuch louder than this, but this greeting I woke up and each I wanted to bash was win, truthful I didn't adjacent person clip to enactment effort into that.

"I was conscionable like, 'Let's conscionable spell triumph this thing.'"

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Sam Presti praises Thunder's younker culture

Thunder GM Sam Presti praises his team's teamwork and chemistry contempt its young age.

PRESTI HAS A precise antithetic benignant of vibe successful his location bureau successful Oklahoma City.

It is modeled aft the compartment successful which Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden, oregon Life successful the Woods successful 1845.

Presti grew up successful adjacent Concord, Massachusetts, and has visited the tract and studied Thoreau's enactment for years.

There is nary exertion successful Presti's room. Just a desk, bare walls and floors. Out backmost determination is simply a platform overlooking a stream.

Thoreau erstwhile wrote, "I went to the woods due to the fact that I wished to unrecorded deliberately, to beforehand lone the indispensable facts of life, and spot if I could not larn what it had to teach."

Presti comes to this spot deliberately, too.

To deliberation without overthinking.

As an antidote to each the magnets with each the lessons he's learned connected the wall.

As an flight from the Bill Walsh photograph and the architecture books by Frank Lloyd Wright and Bauhaus maestro Ludwig Mies van der Rohe he's work that are neatly arranged connected his desk.

It's quiet. Spartan. Simple. And sometimes that's the champion spot to physique from.

This clip helium built differently, to last. He chose players who grew together, not apart.