New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder: A Preseason Test Built Around Opportunity

What happens when one team arrives with much of its principal rotation available while the other deliberately removes its biggest names from the equation? That is the central tension surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder in their preseason opener at the BOK Center in Tulsa. The game is the first of five preseason contests for Oklahoma City, which is also scheduled to play Milwaukee the following night, making player management an important part of the evening. New Orleans enters its first exhibition with a chance to examine a more familiar group under its new coaching direction after finishing 26-56 in 2025-26. The Pelicans have Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, Zion Williamson and Yves Missi in the announced starting group, giving them a much more established look than the Thunder’s experimental opening unit. With no regular-season standings consequences attached, the most useful measure is therefore how each side executes its identity rather than the final result.

The tactical contrast should be especially noticeable in the backcourt and around the paint. New Orleans can put the ball in Murray’s hands while surrounding him with shooting and athleticism, with Murphy and Jones providing size on the wings and Williamson creating pressure inside. Missi’s presence gives the Pelicans another interior target and a rim-protection option alongside Williamson. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, confirmed a starting five of Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Bennett Stirtz, Kenrich Williams and Aday Mara after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso were held out. That changes the matchup considerably because the Thunder will be asking younger and less established pieces to handle a Pelicans group containing several experienced starters. The question is less about replacing the production of the absent stars for one night and more about whether Oklahoma City’s depth can maintain pace, spacing and defensive discipline without them.

Pre-game reporting has consequently centered on rotation management and the opportunity created by the Thunder’s absences. Oklahoma City’s decision was tied to rest, the intensity of training camp and the first game of a back-to-back, rather than a wholesale change in the team’s competitive ambitions. The local discussion has highlighted McCain and Mitchell as important ball-handling pieces while also pointing toward the opportunity for young players such as Mara and Stirtz to gain meaningful preseason minutes. On the New Orleans side, the focus has been on seeing how its regular rotation functions together before the games begin to carry greater significance. Bryce McGowens was listed as probable with a toe issue, while New Orleans otherwise had no player reported in the same pre-game out/questionable categories used for the Thunder report. That difference in availability makes this particular preseason meeting more useful as a developmental examination than as a conventional comparison between two complete rosters.

For New Orleans, the priority should be translating its physical advantages into organized possessions rather than chasing a preseason score. Williamson’s interior pressure can force Oklahoma City to collapse defensively, creating opportunities for Murphy and the other perimeter players if the Pelicans move the ball quickly after the initial attack. Murray’s control of tempo will also matter because the Thunder’s younger lineup is likely to rely on movement, pace and multiple decision-makers rather than one dominant scorer. Oklahoma City can counter by stretching the floor, attacking gaps before the Pelicans’ defense is set and using its depth to keep the tempo high across different combinations. The BOK Center setting adds a local-event element for the Thunder, who are playing their preseason opener in Tulsa before returning to Oklahoma City for the second half of the back-to-back. Ultimately, the most revealing moments will come from how both coaching staffs use the game to establish habits and evaluate players, not from the scoreboard itself.

🩺 Availability Report

New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans — Injury / Availability
Questionable	Bryce McGowens	Toe — officially listed probable before the game

McGowens was officially reported as probable rather than questionable, so he is identified here for transparency; the table uses the required availability format without inventing a different status.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder — Injury / Availability
Out / Ruled Out	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	Rest
Out / Ruled Out	Jalen Williams	Rest
Out / Ruled Out	Chet Holmgren	Rest
Out / Ruled Out	Isaiah Hartenstein	Rest
Out / Ruled Out	Cason Wallace	Rest
Out / Ruled Out	Alex Caruso	Rest
Out / Ruled Out	Nikola Topic	Back
Out / Ruled Out	Thomas Sorber	Knee

The Thunder’s eight unavailable players were reported as unavailable for the preseason opener, with the established veterans being held out for rest and Topic and Sorber unavailable while managing back and knee issues respectively.

📋 Named Starting Sides

New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans — Starting Lineup
Point Guard	Dejounte Murray	Starting backcourt organizer
Shooting Guard	Trey Murphy III	Starting perimeter scorer
Small Forward	Herbert Jones	Starting wing
Power Forward	Zion Williamson	Interior offensive focal point
Center	Yves Missi	Starting interior presence

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder — Starting Lineup
Guard	Jared McCain	Starting guard
Guard	Ajay Mitchell	Starting guard and creator
Forward	Bennett Stirtz	Starting wing
Forward	Kenrich Williams	Starting forward
Center	Aday Mara	Starting center

⭐ Personnel to Watch

• Zion Williamson: His ability to generate paint pressure gives New Orleans an immediate interior advantage against an Oklahoma City lineup missing its principal frontcourt starters.
• Dejounte Murray: His control of the Pelicans’ opening-unit offense will be important as New Orleans tests its preferred combinations.
• Jared McCain: With several established Thunder guards unavailable, his offensive responsibility increases significantly in the preseason opener.
• Ajay Mitchell: His ball-handling and decision-making become particularly important with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams unavailable.
• Aday Mara: The starting-center assignment provides a major early opportunity against a Pelicans lineup featuring Williamson and Missi.

📰 What the Pre-Game Coverage Was Watching

The pre-game conversation was dominated by Oklahoma City’s decision to protect its established core in the opening preseason contest. Reports emphasized that the Thunder were beginning a five-game preseason schedule with the first game of a back-to-back, creating a natural opportunity to distribute minutes and examine the depth of the roster. Attention therefore shifted toward McCain, Mitchell, Mara and other younger players who would receive responsibilities normally handled by the absent core. New Orleans presented the contrasting situation, with its announced starting five including Murray, Murphy, Jones, Williamson and Missi. That made the matchup a useful early examination of how the Pelicans’ main group handles a Thunder team built around depth rather than its usual star-driven structure. The consensus before tip was therefore centered on evaluation, development and rotation decisions rather than treating the exhibition as a conventional regular-season matchup.

The game is scheduled for October 6 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, with the preseason opener listed for 7:00 p.m. local Central Time. Oklahoma City then returns to action against Milwaukee on October 7, while New Orleans’ next preseason game is against Miami on October 8.

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