There are no Oklahoma sports left to cheer for until football season kicks off in August, so now, Sooner Nation shifts all of its attention to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder will play the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, which start at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday down the road from Norman at Paycom Center and will be on ABC. Unlike OU's long and storied tradition in the state, the Thunder is competing for its first championship since the franchise moved to OKC from Seattle in 2008.
Throughout the Thunder's NBA Playoffs run to the Finals, OU general manager Jim Nagy has frequently posted pictures of OKC players and stating the Sooners need to find the OU equivalent. Those posts even led to an offer to Tony Jefferson's younger brother.
But that got me thinking with the NBA Finals here, what 2025 OU football players are the equivalent to the Thunder's stars, including MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? These comparisons seemed to match, and now Sooner Nation can only dream these OU players accomplish the kind of things going on in OKC.
Oklahoma football players compared to Thunder players
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander = John Mateer
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player in the NBA this season, and although the Thunder is loaded, it still wouldn't be a historically great team without SGA. He's the best scorer in the NBA while also facilitating the OKC offense and making everyone else around him better.
John Mateer will have the same role as OU's new QB1. He has to be "the guy" for the Sooners to be better and elevate the entire OU offense around him. The Sooners will go as far as Mateer takes them. He's also entering the season with Heisman expectations, so who knows, there could be even more comparisons to be made if Mateer is also hoisting a trophy soon for being the best player in his league.
Jalen "JDub" Williams = Jaydn Ott
JDub is the No. 2 in the Thunder's potent one-two punch and joined SGA in the NBA All-Star Game. Jaydn Ott won't be winning the Heisman as a running back while sharing a backfield with Mateer, but like JDub, he'd be the best offensive player on most other teams and could still be considered one of the best playmakers in college football in 2025. The Sooners will need Mateer to live up to expectations and someone like Ott to reach the level JDub did in order to take things to a new level this season.
Isaiah Hartenstein = Troy Everett
Center was a circus last season for the Sooners because of injuries. They were constantly dominated in the trenches, much like the Thunder was in the paint last season. So Sam Presti went and signed Isaiah Hartenstein, who has become a game-changer for the Thunder that now has a bigger lineup.
Troy Everett has been around unlike Hartenstein, but was injured most of last season. If he comes back and becomes a staple at center for the Sooners, or anyone really, then that would help solve the biggest question mark for the Sooners and make them a lot more competitive in the trenches.
Chet Holmgren = Jayden Gibson
There were high expectations for the 6-foot-5 Jayden Gibson at receiver last year, but then his season ended before it even got started because of injury. That's basically the story of Chet Holmgren's career since being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
There's no denying the Thunder is better with a healthy Holmgren. The Sooners also need Gibson healthy and back to elevate the passing game as a towering scoring threat for Mateer to dish the ball to.
Luguentz Dort = R Mason Thomas
NBA All-Stars don't want to see Lu Dort across from them, just like quarterbacks hate to see R Mason Thomas coming around the edge at them. Thomas could be quiet all game, then had a knack for coming up with a sack at the perfect time in the fourth quarter.
Alex Caruso = Damonic Williams
Alex Caruso has become a fan-favorite, but for those who just look at the stat sheet, it wouldn't look like Caruso has contributed much to the Thunder's run, but there's no denying OKC doesn't get past the Nuggets without Caruso. Damonic Williams might not always pad stats either, but his dominating presence on defense takes the unit to a new level and frees up others to make big plays that get noticed.
Aaron Wiggins = Deion Burks
They say Aaron Wiggins saved basketball, and during football season they might be saying that Deion Burks saved OU's passing game and receiver problem. Burks played only five games last season because of injuries, but even in the small sample size we got, Sooner Nation knows Burks will be something special soon.
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