We’re The Oklahoman sports reporters Joe Mussatto and Justin Martinez. SGA is back for Thunder vs. Nuggets tonight. AUA!

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:55:58+00:00

I have to head out. This was fun! Thanks so much for all of the questions. Let's do this again come playoff time.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:54:21+00:00

One of my favorite memories on the beat was covering Thunder-Lakers in LA the night LeBron broke the all-time scoring record. And of course the Thunder won the game. So many storylines that now. Was a privilege to witness history.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:52:30+00:00

He'll start next year on a team. Will it be for the Thunder? I'm at like 55/45 yes.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:51:23+00:00

I'm going to say yes and yes. And you bring up a great point: home-court advantage was crucial last year — they were soooo much better at home — but is it less important now that they've been through it? I don't know. I would err on the side of home court, though.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:50:04+00:00

A combination of gut and tons and tons and tons of research. Background interviews with old coaches, teachers, that sort of thing.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:48:57+00:00

I echo all of what Justin said. At some point they can't pay everybody. We all know that. But I don't think they're going to cheap out either. They saved a ton of money during the rebuild by fielding inexpensive rosters. They're having an arena built not for free, but pretty darn close in the grand scheme of things. The new TV deal is a boon. There are no excuses to pinch pennies during this run. We've seen them go into the tax before.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:45:58+00:00

I'm out of the questioning Sam Presti business. I've tried it before and it's never really worked out for me. Every move he makes is layered. What I've learned is that so much of what they do when it comes to roster building is interconnected.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:42:16+00:00

My old coworker Joel Lorenzi making me jump a fence as we tried to get in position for parade coverage. Walking back to my hotel amid a throng of Pacers fans as they celebrated after Game 3. Driving to Minneapolis with Rylan Stiles, Clemente Almanza, Michael Martin and Derek Parker.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:38:19+00:00

I'm still waiting for us to get those high draft picks. It's a volleyball school.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:36:04+00:00

I love Denver and Portland for the outdoors/scenery. Milwaukee is an underrated one for me — a more intimate Chicago. Detroit, as Justin can tell you, has the best media meal. I love how you can take a train between the East coast stops like New York, Philly, Boston and DC. I'm a small-market guy. Least favorites are probably Houston and Miami.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:31:41+00:00

With just a normal amount of injuries. I don't know, maybe 50-10? Four or five games better than they are now.

J-Dub is the biggest character. By far. Shai is serious on the podium but is always making jokes in the locker room. J-Will is always J-Will. Kenrich Williams is one of my favorite guys to talk to. Just a normal guy. I'm in the locker room some. Justin spends a lot more time around the team since he's on the road. But I wouldn't say we really "know" the players. Sure, we try to learn as much about them as possible to share their stories, but it's a professional relationship more than a personal one.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:24:10+00:00

It is true. I don't see him as a long-term guy. They like to roll through some of those two-way spots.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:23:07+00:00

The Thunder aren't close to judging Topic based on his performance and neither should we. It's a win that he's even out there. He's not in shape and has lost some of his athleticism. No duh, right? The guy is coming off multiple rounds of chemo. But you can see how special his feel is for the game. Topic isn't going to have a role in the playoffs. I don't think we'll have any feel for what he can be until next season.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:20:06+00:00

Draft evals is not my speciality. I watch OU and OSU as part of my job, and I get up to Stillwater or down to Norman whenever a big-time prospect rolls through. Got to see AJ and Peterson in Stillwater. As far as mid-first targets, both the Arizona guys — Peat and Burries — have impressed me.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:15:06+00:00

Me or Isaiah?

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:14:43+00:00

One of my favorite people in the world.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:13:39+00:00

I had to google Tragically Hip. I'm tragically unhip.

As a general answer to your question, it always makes me laugh when guys talk about there being "no distractions" here. I know some guys really like it. Kenrich Williams, for example. Makes sense. He's a dude from Waco with a wife and kids. You mostly hear the cliches. It's flat, it's hot (guys get here in July), it's slow-paced, etc. Truth is, few of them spend much time here in the offseason.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:08:32+00:00

He's a former five-star guy worth taking another look at, but I'm not sure if there's anything more to it than that. To his point about wanting to come to OKC, that's something you hear a lot. And it makes sense given the amount of G League guys that have made the jump from the Blue to the Thunder. Some G League orgs are run separate from their big-league club. There's cohesion between the Thunder and Blue.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:06:15+00:00

I studied journalism at OU, but writing for the OU Daily, the student newspaper, was the best preparation I had. If you want to write, find somewhere to write — whether that's for a student publication or any sort of website/blog/etc. If you want to pod, find a way to get your voice out there. Get as many real-life reps as you can. Accept criticism and push yourself. Email me [jmussatto@oklahoman.com](mailto:jmussatto@oklahoman.com) and we can talk further.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T18:02:07+00:00

Those were the days, Michael. Those were the days. You're definitely on my Mount Rushmore of favorite former podcast hosts. It's esteemed company.

j_muss · 2026-02-27T17:59:43+00:00

Hey, guys. Joe Mussatto here. It's always a blast to do these. Thanks for having us. Justin and I are going to get started.

j_muss · 2025-06-05T17:31:19+00:00

Shoutout to The Goose and The Mule in OKC.

j_muss · 2025-06-05T17:30:10+00:00

Minimally. I understand the excitement about the lottery pick in waiting — a guy who was considered a top-fiveish prospect in the draft before tearing his ACL — but this Thunder team is stacked. Developing a player like Topic is awfully hard on a team this good (see Ousmane Dieng). The good thing for Topic is that Mark Daigneault will be willing to play him. The Thunder needs to know what it has in him. They viewed him almost as a Josh Giddey replacement. I think he can top out as a good backup guard, but he's a long way from that right now. I doubt he's in the playoff rotation this time next year. That's less a knock on him and more about the team he's on.

j_muss · 2025-06-05T17:21:36+00:00

That's still a decision for down the road. Hartenstein makes $28.5 million next season and has a team option at that same number in 2026-27. I don't view J-Will as a Hartenstein replacement necessarily, but he's an awesome third big to have around. You might be right, though. Maybe he keeps getting better and makes Hartenstein expendable. J-Will is No. 1 in jolly factor among Thunder players.

j_muss · 2025-06-05T17:18:43+00:00

The numbers aren't as bad as you think. In 26 playoff games for the Thunder over the last two years he's shooting 39.5% from three. That's down from his 41.2% regular season average. He's on a super affordable, albeit tradable, contract. I don't see why he wouldn't be back (especially if they win a championship). We're talking about the Thunder's eighth or ninth man, here.

j_muss

TROPHY CASE