We hit the airwaves this morning still buzzing from the wild finish to the NBA postseason, and we had our resident hoops insider Brandon Rahbar jump on The Starting Lineup to break down exactly what went sideways for the Oklahoma City Thunder and what’s next as we head into draft season. While perimeter towns like Nixa and Republic are gearing up for summer sports, local basketball fans have had their eyes glued to the professional ranks, watching a massive Western Conference battle unfold.

The Chet Holmgren Matchup & Injury Woes

Ned Reynolds wanted to get to the bottom of what happened in that final game against San Antonio, specifically regarding Chet Holmgren’s quiet series. Brandon noted that most of the speculation points to a tough matchup issue with Victor Wembanyama. Chet had an all-NBA caliber regular season, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, but he was forced to carry too much of the offensive load with secondary playmakers Jalen Williams (J-Dub) and Ajay Mitchell sidelined. We agree that when healthy, this is still arguably the deepest, most dangerous team in the league.

Spurs vs. Knicks Finals Fallout

Art Haines brought up the fascinating emotional shift for local fans who instantly turned into New York faithful after the Thunder went down. The Spurs may have celebrated their Western Conference Finals victory like it was the true championship, completely underestimating the playoff-mode Knicks. New York brought veteran execution to crunch time, while San Antonio’s youth showed through in a highly competitive five-game collapse. Brandon expects this OKC-Spurs battle to define the next half-decade of basketball.

Draft Room Targets & The Trae Young Rumors

With the number 12 and 17 picks coming up, Scott Puryear pushed the conversation toward roster construction. Brandon threw out some phenomenal targets from Michigan’s recent national championship squad—Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg—as well as Arizona’s Brayden Burries if they trade up. And for those hoping hometown hero Trae Young comes back to Oklahoma after declining his option? Don’t bank on it. The Thunder simply don’t have the $50 million in cap space, nor the need to disrupt a backcourt that already features SGA, J-Dub, and Ajay Mitchell.