標籤: Presti

The NBA Executive of the Year is typically awarded to the league’s best team, as evidenced by Sam Presti, general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024–25 season. But don’t tell that to Phoenix Suns GM Brian Gregory.

The latter has completely transformed Phoenix after a 2024-25 offseason where there were a lot of questions. What will happen with Kevin Durant? What about Bradley Beal’s impending contract? Will Devin Booker commit to Phoenix?

He answered all those questions, but appeared to rebuild the culture through alignment in just a few months. While alignment was the focus of every joke about Gregory, his eyes were set on a complete 180-degree change.

Thunder’s Sam Presti being compared to Suns’ Brian Gregory’s offseason

Presti made two of the most impactful moves that season with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Those two alone showed how impressive and deep Oklahoma City was heading into the 2024-25 season, thanks to Presti’s knack for finding talent and fits. The 64-win season ended with an NBA Finals victory.

It highlighted that building through the draft, finding and developing the right players and coaches, and establishing culture in addition to finding fit, was the ultimate mix for sustained success.

As soon as they were in the Finals, Phoenix began preparing for the 2025 NBA Draft. He didn’t have the best draft capital after the Suns traded their only guaranteed draft pick in 2031 to the Utah Jazz for a three-first pick.

However, these three selections were the least favorable among the three teams (essentially, the team with the best record is the selection that Phoenix would get). Leading up to the draft, Gregory’s collegiate expertise stood out.

They had a few draft picks, but when the Suns traded for Kevin Durant, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks and several second-round picks for the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 draft, they acquired a big pick.

That first-round pick was used to draft Duke center Khaman Maluach. Then the first-year general manager put on his scouting cap and found two pieces of the future in Rasheer Fleming and Coby Brea.

Gregory called the latter “the best college shooter of the last three years.” And for Fleming, his defense, shooting and unreal athleticism were in line with his vision.

All the while, they traded for former Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams on draft day. The 23-year-old big man was made the team’s starting center, and it seemed like a low-risk, high-reward move.

But about two weeks ago, the Suns hired Jordan Ott, causing a lot of doubt because of the potential Michigan State tie between him, Gregory and owner Matt Ishbia.

Nonetheless, the GM mentioned that the organization conducted dozens of interviews to find the right person. He even called in outside sources to hear a different perspective.

Hiring the future coach, selecting future key players and establishing a long-term culture were all accomplished within a month.

How has the Suns regular season been vs. the Thunders regular season?

As for the Thunder, they have not surprised anyone with their dominance. At the beginning of the year, they were potentially trying to break the Golden State Warriors’ record for most wins in a season (73).

They came back down to earth, but Oklahoma City’s dominance shocked everyone. A dynasty seems to be emerging, but before we analyze it, let’s go back to January 4th.

A nearly healthy Suns team defeats the Thunder as game winners. The last two meetings did not go Phoenix’s way, but they were filled with stars returning from injury (Devin Booker) or being out due to injury.

A game is not equal why should Gregory win over Presti? If it were so, it would be inconsistent. That Sunday night was a microcosm of what the Suns GM has built: a gritty, physical, defensive-minded and connected team.

Someone in particular who has changed the culture is Brooks. He changed the culture wherever he went, even during his time with the Memphis Grizzlies.

After almost being traded to Phoenix in 2018, it was a full-circle moment when he was traded. Playing with Booker has enhanced both of their games, but Brooks has taken his game to another level.

There is more offensive responsibility and liability in this, which he has performed well. Averaging over 20 points per game and shooting nearly 70% at the rim is impressive.

His unorthodox attacking play has thrown defenders out of their rhythm. Even with Booker and Green out, Brooks has agreed to be the preferred option, which he cited following the 2024-25 first-round series with the Golden State Warriors.

Through the All-Star break, Oklahoma City had 42 wins compared to Phoenix’s 32. The Thunder’s dominance was expected, but the Suns’ surprise was something that took many by surprise.

What has Brian Gregory done for the Suns since the All-Star break?

The moves haven’t stopped since the backend of the season began. The team gave Green a long-term return, even as he worked extra hard for his hamstring recovery.

Additionally, the Suns signed running back Haywood Highsmith to a two-year waiver deal and gave two-way player Jamari Bouia a contract extension.

With Green out, Bouia, in particular, has been a nice contribution. Another guard above the rim who can create his own shot. Meanwhile, Highsmith brings the defensive intensity and versatility that Gregory has preached since taking over the job.

Injuries have kept the team from showing what they can look like when the trio of Booker, Brooks and Green remain healthy. However, Phoenix has maintained its hold on the court even without these three.

If the success continues, Gregory should hoist the Executive of the Year award based on the team’s turnaround, navigating the free agent market and making the most of the Durant trade and landing a player who aligns with the culture.

Two years away from having the 12th pick in the 2024 draft, Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and GM Sam Presti has both prospects — Nikola Topic and Jared McCann — he backed up Mark Daigneault. The timing of both guards could not have come at a better time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out with an abdominal injury, Ajay Mitchell hasn’t played since January, and Jalen Williams will be reevaluated in March.

Losing three of its leading scorers shows that Oklahoma City is unable to get close to its 119.4 point average without its reigning MVP and two of the Thunder’s top four scorers. It’s a good thing Presti parted ways with a 2026 first-round pick and two future seconds at the trade deadline to acquire a young guard he’s had his eye on since McCann’s 2024 pre-draft workout with the Thunder.

Presti also trusted the 19-year-old Serbian prospect with an old-school approach to the point guard position despite suffering a season-ending ACL injury. Presti was fine with the debut of Topch, who was selected by the Thunder at No. 12 in 2025-26. Back then, no one could have predicted what would happen after the Thunder preseason games. Now, McCain and Topic are both playing in Oklahoma City at unexpected times in their respective careers.

Jared’s trade to the Philadelphia 76ers made him cry. The subject is four months away from a cancer diagnosis. This was all unexpected, but they both fit like a glove into the Thunder’s offense. McCann’s ability to make open threes and create space gives Daigneault another scorer to utilize. Topic gives the Thunder a secondary playmaker who can score quickly off the bench, which he has already proven in the first two games of his NBA career.

It’s another win for coach Mark Daigneault and Thunder GM Sam Presti amid the defending champions’ quest to win back-to-back titles.

Jared McCann scores season-high in Thunder vs. Nets win

Second-year guard Jared McCain has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his five appearances with the Thunder. He’s also efficient at connecting on 9 of 20 (45%), including half of his six 3-point attempts in a 105-86 win against the Nets. McCain led the Thunder with a season-high 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, four rebounds and one steal. And his presence has also had a positive impact on the defending champion’s supporting cast.

Isaiah Joe, who has missed at least two threes in five consecutive games, extended his streak to six to 11 points as his hot streak continued in Friday’s win against the Nets. Joe shot a career-best 41.7% clip from deep this season. However, that percentage has increased to 55.8% with McCann making 19 of 34 attempts in the five games since his arrival.

Still, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reminded reporters it’s not all about shooting with McCain and Joe, as their increased roles amid Oklahoma City’s injuries have elevated them to do other things that help win.

“It’s not the only thing they do,” Daigneault said. “Jared is a guy that – he’s dynamic offensively – there’s a lot more to his game than spot-up shooting. You could see it tonight. Again, Isaiah Joe rebounded the ball great tonight. We play short games with him on the court, even though he’s a light guy because he’s good physically, he executes, and he gets his nose in the ball to make plays.

“It’s not just taking advantage of the shooting. It’s being able to put them out there because of the other skills they bring. But, yes, we have optionality, and that’s what you want. You never know what you need. You never know who’s going to do well. We obviously try to lean into that with changing rotations and lineups, and they definitely give us more options,” Daigneault concluded.

Since McCann joined the Thunder, Joe has averaged 15.8 points on 49.4% shooting, including 55.8% from deep, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

“We all have a role to play, and we all know it, and he’s done a great job of helping me with that. I think once we get the ball moving, we can all create shots for each other. Once we get the ball moving, good things are going to happen,” McCain said. “[We’re] This becomes known as we move forward. It’s hard to do it without those people. “However, we are figuring it out.”

Nikola Topic’s playmaking wraps up Thunder’s win

While Jared McCann and Isaiah Joe’s scoring gave the Thunder double-digit relief, Nikola Topic, in his second NBA game, closed the door in the final frame with playmaking, shooting and smooth finishing at the rim. For coach Mark Daigneault, the Thunder’s theme is a traditional pure point guard with a pass-first mentality, and the confidence to score when he sees fit.

Daigneault says Topic is proof of what’s missing in the NBA modern day point guard During the Thunder head coach’s postgame media availability on Friday.

“There aren’t a lot of real pure point guards in basketball anymore. There’s incredible skill, but there’s not a ton of traditional team runners, those guys, and that’s it: He can run your team,” Daigneault said. “He’ll settle you down to ground level. He understands what we’re trying to achieve, even at this very early stage of his career, and he’s got the ability to go along with it.

“He’s still got a long way to go. Offensively he’s got a lot to learn in terms of getting the edge, reading different coverages that he’s going to see as the league gets to know him a little bit; it’ll be a new challenge for him. But he’s off to a great start.”

Topic finished with nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes, as the rookie guard is finding his feet in the early stages of his career. Still, Daigneault feels his team will benefit from the influence of both McCann and Topic amid the Thunder’s title defense.