Thunder beat Trail Blazers with one of the youngest starting lineups ever

With George Hill nursing a thumb injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder turned to rookie Theo Maledon for his first career start on Monday versus the Portland Trail Blazers.

Maledon responded by producing six points, four rebounds and four assists during the 125-122 win versus Portland. The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a team-high 24 points, while Mike Muscala added 23 points and drained a career-high six 3-pointers.

While Maledon earning his first career start was certainly noteworthy, his addition put the Thunder in some rare company.

The starting lineup used by the Thunder, which also featured Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Roby, was one of the youngest ever used in a game. The group’s average age of 21 years, 185 days was the seventh-youngest in NBA history.

It’s no secret the Thunder are planning toward the future.

Armed with, potentially, more than 20 draft picks between now and 2026, Sam Presti and the Thunder have mapped out a promising future as the organization prioritizes getting younger and building a championship-contending roster.

The Thunder have often exceeded expectations, and they are off to another solid start this year. With the win, OKC improved to 7-9 on the season, which is good for 11th in the Western Conference.

So, odds are, the Thunder will continue to set age-related records in the future…

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