As the NBA offseason endures its dog days, here are four things we've learned from the Oklahoma City Thunder's offseason:

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Not married to anything

When Sam Presti said he wasn’t trying to prove anyone wrong, he wasn’t kidding.

After rebounding, at times, plagued the team, Presti sought a free agent that could bridge the gap and still be additive — while willingly acknowledging that Isaiah Hartenstein isn’t the shooter OKC typically employs.

While it was certainly Josh Giddey’s ambition that forced him out of OKC more than ever, Presti swallowed the decision to deal for Alex Caruso, letting go of his lottery project to make way for the immediate future. It was a notable next step considering how much Presti still valued Giddey leading up to his departure.

If OKC’s summer showed us anything, it’s that the Thunder has taken the necessary steps to give itself a window to win big.

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Thunder pumping the brakes on a modern power forward

After the smoke cleared on OKC’s offseason, having added a couple key free agents, one traditional role remained unoccupied: power forward.

Some would call it a greedy ask for the Thunder to acquire a player that fits the mold of today’s power forward. Its offense and defense were both among the best in the league a year ago without one. And while Isaiah Hartenstein allows for some lineup versatility, Chet Holmgren remains a center at his flimsy core.

If it wanted to, OKC probably could have dealt away an asset or two for a player that fits the mold. But despite the team not being bonded to any way of playing, it’s been firm on being unconventional, at least in some ways. That includes, at the moment, exploring its options at the pseudo-power forward spot.

That includes continuing to see what Jalen Williams can be there. How broad he continues to extend his range of defense matchups, how well he continues to create against big forwards.

That also includes exploring what Holmgren can be there. Whether he can be used for inverted screens, what his decision making on quick catches can look like, his synergy next to a big like Hartenstein among other things.

If nothing else, OKC’s absence of a true power forward will give it the data it’s hoping for.

Chet Holmgren closing the gap on big weakness

Perhaps it was the year he had to observe before taking the court for the first time, but Chet Holmgren carried an uncommon awareness into his rookie season.

After a successful campaign in which he averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, Holmgren is even more conscious as his sophomore season approaches.

During an appearance on Paul George’s podcast that aired earlier this week, Holmgren noted that he’s spent much of his basketball journey trying to isolate other big men on the perimeter. With how quickly he struck fear into rival centers across the NBA, teams began cross matching against him, limiting him in a way he hadn’t seen.

Holmgren’s next step is to punish those smaller defenders — whether that’s in lineups where he’s featured at center or on the floor beside Hartenstein — and kill mismatches. Holmgren not only acknowledged his next step on the show, but confirmed he’s made strides this summer.

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OKC has a type

Tall. Good decision making. A suitable handle.

The Thunder has a type.

If it wasn’t evident through how many of OKC’s players fit the dribble-pass-shoot mold that kept its drive-and-kick offense afloat last season, it became painfully obvious on draft night.

General manager Sam Presti, clearly understanding that the team’s needs were most likely to be met in free agency, didn’t elect to draft a big. Or a traditional forward. Or even someone who spent most of their career as a wing.

Instead, Presti opted to draft three guards. Nikola Topic, the Serbian playmaking wizard whose stock dropped because of an ACL tear; Dillon Jones, a heftier ball handler who ran his college offense, and whose rebounding alone helps him double as a forward in OKC; Ajay Mitchell, a sound decision maker at Santa Barbara.

Instead of collecting a random assortment of players with separate, defined skill sets and limitations, the Thunder is grouping players with a baseline of requirements. Whether those players collectively sprout from that baseline to becoming a dream core depends on what OKC’s system does for them.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sam Presti bolstered OKC Thunder roster with busy 2024 NBA offseason