The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to roll along with their NBA training camp. Only a few weeks remain until they're part of Opening Night for the 2026-27 regular season. They're entering the year as one of the top title favorites. Even after their summer filled with roster changes.
Now that their training camp is almost over — only Sunday, Oct. 4, remains — we've had a pretty clear picture of how things have shaken out in the week filled with practices. When it's all done, the Thunder will have logged five days of activities.
Let's look at three thoughts from OKC's NBA training camp so far. Of course, important to note that we only get to see snippets of their actual work. And it's usually at the tail end of things when players wind down their days:
Gilgeous-Alexander's running mates
So far, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had an open-door policy. Parked at the farthest hoop from the media's waiting area, he's had a different Thunder teammate with him. Tuesday, it was Jared McCain; Wednesday, Cason Wallace; Friday, Jalen Williams. We've seen a lot of two-man sets in those days. That's savvy for them as there's zero downside in the team-up.
After the Thunder said goodbye to a handful of role players, they're going through some roster changes for the first time in a few years. Smart of Gilgeous-Alexander to build up a rapport with that trio. It's obvious why McCain needs the reps as he's still relatively new in OKC. But Williams and Wallace make sense too. Williams missed most of last year and Wallace will presumably be a full-time starter.
Aday Mara buzz
Over the years, Kenrich Williams has called his shot on several Thunder players. He famously called Williams a future NBA All-Star at his first training camp. He also had high compliments for Wallace and Ajay Mitchell early on in their respective OKC tenures. Who gets his lucky endorsement this year? Aday Mara.
Williams called Mara a future All-Defensive member. That raised some eyebrows. From what I've seen in NBA training camp, he's worked with Mark Daigneault's top assistant Dave Bliss — who specializes in OKC's big men. The 7-foot-3 behemoth offers a unique size that only a couple of NBA players possess. The novelty surrounding him will make him a must-watch prospect this year. Even if he seldom helps.
NBA referees visit OKC
Every year, the NBA Officials' social media account posts the points of emphasis. In Layman's terms, that's announcing which calls and non-calls are going to be at the front of mind for the NBA referees. At least, to start the regular season. Eventually — due to the day-to-day grind of the marathon — referees fall back to old habits. This season, they're going to emphasize push-off leeway and defensive flopping.
Daigneault touted the company line. The Thunder are fine with whatever rhythm the NBA referees want to call games, just as long as it's consistent and fair. They just want to know what the whistle style will be for a particular night from the jump. Alex Caruso also expressed a similar sentiment. A group of officials visited OKC's training camp on Friday. As is the case with every other camp across the league.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Here are 3 takeaways of 2026-27 OKC Thunder NBA training camp
