3 things OKC Thunder must do to beat Hornets in 2025 Summer League playoffs

After four straight wins, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to bring home even more rings. They will face the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 Summer League playoffs. The semifinal matchup will determine who advances to the championship contest.

The Summer League playoffs are a four-team knockout tournament. This year, all four teams went a perfect 4-0 with strong point differentials. The Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings are in the other semifinal game.

Even with Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell likely done for the Summer League, the Thunder have seen their two-way players and the rest of the roster step up. Here are three things they must do to beat the Hornets and move on to/ the championship round:

Rely on defense and turnovers

While Mitchell and Topic being out hurts the offense, the defense continues to shut down the opposition. They've played a similar style to the NBA champions with turnovers. It also helps playing against opponents that have sat out their best prospects in recent days.

All eyes will be on Kon Knueppel. He's remained on the floor despite other top rookies sitting out. The 2025 No. 4 pick has averaged 13.3 points on 41.9% shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in three Vegas Summer League games. Let's see if the Thunder can slow him down.

Creating turnovers will be key. If the Thunder can disrupt passing lanes and win the possession battle, that gives them more margin for error with their halfcourt offense. That formula is a proven success, considering how OKC relied on its elite defense to win a championship.

Continue good ball movement

The Thunder will likely be without a traditional playmaker. Topic and Mitchell have carried the offense, but with both out, they must get creative. That's how they blew out the Pelicans and scored nearly 100 points in 40 minutes. The offense got going with good ball movement.

If the Thunder win, they will need an evenly distributed scoring performance. Several players will need to score double-digit points. Nobody left is really capable of being a 20-plus point scorer. Without a true go-to scorer, off-ball movement and outside shooting will have to carry the load.

Malevy Leons and Chris Youngblood are some solid candidates. Leons could be a fastbreak threat with his length. Youngblood is a quick outside shooter who needs little space to let it fly. Jazian Gortman can also create a little bit off the dribble.

Barnhizer and Carlson step up

In all likelihood, Brooks Barnhizer and Branden Carlson will be the Thunder's best players. The two two-way players led them to a blowout win over the Magic and Pelicans. Barnhizer has played better the deeper they got into the Summer League. Carlson finally debuted after dealing with an ankle injury.

Barnhizer will need to be impactful. He can provide a boost with steal-and-score sequences. He can also help the halfcourt offense with second-chance layups. Because of a lack of top scorers, he will be given plenty of chances to get buckets.

Meanwhile, Carlson needs to continue to do what he does against G League competition. He's dominated at that level as a seven-foot stretch center who can rack up blocks. He might not be able to do it against NBA players, but he's the perfect G League player who stuffs the statsheet.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 3 things Thunder must do to beat Hornets in 2025 Summer League playoff