Will OKC Thunder be Canada's unofficial team while Raptors rebuild? One outlet made a case
The OKC Thunder did its rebuild the right away.
After stockpiling draft capital and young talent throughout the past few years, OKC is battling for the top seed in the Western Conference standings. The Thunder's rebuilding stage is now complete, but it's just beginning for other teams around the league.
One example is the Toronto Raptors, who won a championship in 2019 but hit the reset button this season by trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. And, in a recent article by Sportsnet, Michael Grange made the case for OKC to be Canada's team while Toronto goes through its rebuild.
Grange first pointed to OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, who are both Canadian and play for the national team. He even counted Chet Holmgren from Minnesota, which "is basically Canada."
More: Here's how the OKC Thunder's 2023-24 season is projected to play out
Grange also found a Canadian connection for Jalen Williams. The second-year forward played his college ball at Santa Clara, which is where Canadian hoops legend Steve Nash played.
It could take time for the Raptors to return to contending status. Toronto is 23-48 this season, and it'll lose its own 2024 first-round pick to San Antonio if it falls outside the top six.
Meanwhile, OKC has both the best collection of draft capital and the best young core in the NBA. It even made its pitch to Canadians with a 123-103 road win over Toronto on Friday.
The Thunder is on the rise, and it's not hard to see why those north of the border would want to tag along.
More: Five players left in March Madness worth OKC Thunder targeting in NBA Draft
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Will OKC Thunder be Canada's unofficial team while Raptors rebuild?
