There is no doubt in anyone’s mind now that the NBA has changed plenty in the past decades, especially as players from different generations are constantly pointing out how the league has quickly transformed into another type of competition. Different styles, strategies, and priorities create different players, and depth is an important value in this star-driven league.
We’ve seen time and time again how sometimes a game rests on the players who are at the top of the rotation, as they go clutch and save their team because they are still with enough energy to excel at the end of a match. This is part of the reason why so many executives have gone out of the way to create a more versatile roster each year.
Even though superstars steal the headlines night after night, it is really the entire squad’s resources who can maintain the lead throughout an entire contest. This is why even the brightest star couldn’t lead the worst club in the NBA to the Larry O’Brien trophy, because it needs more than a couple of great players.
Sam Presti on Thunder players making an impact in OKC:
“People will remember you here.
Because we are so short on tenure, each one of these guys can leave an impact in their own way.
The contributions here, I think they cut a little deeper.”
Presti mentioned Jeremy Lamb was… pic.twitter.com/9nuPjjWlH6
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) September 28, 2024
This is part of the reason why Oklahoma City has grown into one of the strongest franchises in the competition, while some might even consider them title contenders as they keep improving every campaign. The Thunder boast one of the deepest rosters ever seen, playing at least 10 to 13 of their athletes per game.
During the organization’s Media Day interviews, team owner Sam Presti highlighted Oklahoma’s depth. “I think the depth of teams in the league and I think depth in general is really important. I think depth relative to the parity in the league that we see now is directly linked because the teams are so deep,” Presti said.
According to the Thunder executive, athletes have had to change the way they play because all these games take a toll. “The icing on the cake for all of that relative to the depth is the pace of the modern game is much different, so the days are the same. There are still 24 hours in the day. There was always physical basketball.
“But the amount of torque on the bodies and the way in which — and how many possessions there are within a modern NBA game is just a different load. That’s why I think the depth is important to all teams, not just to our team, and I think we’re well-positioned for that,” Presti explained.
Presti explained how an NBA team’s necessity for depth starts to get clearer and clearer midway through the campaign
The Oklahoma City executive described what goes through their organization’s heads during a season, as what they need throughout the year starts getting clearer as the months go by. At the start, it seems as if the starting lineup is enough to contend, but injuries and fatigue eventually take a toll on the roster.
“But I also think it’s important for these reasons. Midway through the season last year, there was a change in the points of emphasis relative to the officiating, so we saw a much more physical game. We like that. We’re for that. We’re certainly not against that in any way. We think it’s probably better to have a balanced game,” Presti assured.
Now that the NBA has introduced a new In-Season Tournament, which was won by the Lakers last year, it seems even more clear how necessary it is to have a diverse set of players. “But you’re still introducing a level of physicality into the game every single night that’s going to wear anybody down.
“Couple that with the fact that the second half of the season is more compressed with fewer days off and more games, more travel days than we’ve seen in 10 to 12 years,” Presti continued. “And you’re going to see just the attrition of the league probably change a little bit more, but to get a better product, which is totally understandable.”
