Yahoo Sports NBA writer Dan Devine is joined by Tyler Parker from The Ringer to talk about the fast ascent of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the path they took to get here.

00:00 - Count me in!

04:10 - Coby White

10:20 - Oklahoma City Thunder

23:20 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

30:20 - Chet Holmgren

41:40 - OKC trade targets

48:55 - The Closing Five

81:10 - Weekly Recommendations

On this episode of Devine Intervention, Yahoo Sports NBA writer Dan Devine is joined by Oklahoma native Tyler Parker from The Ringer to talk about the Oklahoma City Thunder, but first…

When asked about what has brought him joy in the NBA world recently, Tyler brings up the play of Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, who has received more playing time due to a Zach LaVine injury and now might be derailing whatever plans the Bulls had for their future by being awesome.

Now, about those Thunder. This isn’t the first time that they’ve had a team that has gotten very good very quickly with lots of young and athletic superstars. Dan and Tyler travel back in time to talk about what it was like to live through the Oklahoma City Hornets, the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City and then the rise of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

That leads us to today, where the Thunder have the 2nd best record in the Western Conference and underlying metrics that say they might be the 2nd best team in the entire NBA. They’re led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is once again in the conversation for this season’s MVP award. The guys discuss why he’s dominant but also why he’s so fun to watch.

Chet Holmgren is definitely going to get some votes for Rookie of the Year, but more importantly than that, he has been exactly what the Thunder have needed. Tyler talks about Chet’s fast development from NBA Summer League to now, halfway through the season, and why Chet has fit so perfectly into the Thunder offense.

Before moving on to conversations about writing books, NBA players as improv partners, Trae Young’s media narrative and other things, Tyler talks about the type of players that he is hoping the Thunder use some of their draft picks to acquire before the trade deadline.

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