Thunder, Pacers redefine winning with versatile rosters

Jun 5, 2025 12:27 PM

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Photo: Oklahoma City Thunder/X

In a recent piece for Yahoo Sports, Kevin O’Connor highlights how the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, this year’s NBA Finals contenders, are redefining what it takes to build a championship-caliber roster in the modern league.

According to O’Connor, the traditional “three-and-D” archetype players who specialize primarily in perimeter shooting and on-ball defense may no longer be sufficient for teams aspiring to reach the highest levels of playoff success.

Instead, both Oklahoma City and Indiana are showcasing a more evolved model: rosters filled with players who not only defend and shoot well from deep but who can also handle the ball and make quick, smart decisions in the flow of the game.

This emphasis on versatility and offensive fluidity, O’Connor points out, is what separates these squads from many others.

He draws a parallel to the Boston Celtics’ 2024 title run, suggesting that their championship blueprint was built on a similar foundation of multi-skilled role players who thrive with the ball in their hands and excel at keeping the offense moving.

Oklahoma City, for instance, features a lineup where nearly every key player is capable of dribbling, creating plays, spacing the floor, and defending effectively.

Even center Isaiah Hartenstein, though not a threat from beyond the arc, contributes meaningfully as a passer from the high post, enabling smoother offensive execution.

The Pacers, O’Connor notes, have built their team around the same philosophy.

Their core contributors possess well-rounded skill sets that allow them to be threats in multiple areas of the game, making Indiana not only difficult to guard but also resilient and adaptable on both ends of the court.

Ultimately, O’Connor argues that the league may be witnessing the next stage in team construction: one where elite two-way players are expected to do more than just specialize, where intelligence, versatility, and decision-making are just as prized as physical tools or shooting prowess.