Thomas Sorber, Brooks Barnhizer reveal what they learned about Thunder's playoff run
Showing how the NBA is a 24/7 business, the Thunder only had three days to celebrate the championship before they shifted their focus to the 2025 NBA draft. Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer were the latest additions to the NBA champion.
As they went through their predraft process and met with teams, Sorber and Barnhizer kept an eye on the Thunder's championship run. After all, both likely knew for weeks there was a decent chance that OKC could take them in the draft.
Minutes after Sorber was drafted, he rode the high of reaching his dreams when he promised that the Thunder will go back-to-back. That's what every NBA champion feels like in the immediate aftermath, but OKC is best set up compared to previous champions to accomplish the rare feat.
"Yeah, I watched the NBA Finals," Sorber said. "Honestly, it just felt good to be chosen by Sam and just to be able to bring whatever I could do to bring to the team."
Meanwhile, Barnhizer had his first of 16 NBA workouts with the Thunder. The 23-year-old had the NBA champion on the back of his mind throughout his other 15 visits. He caught Sam Presti's eye when he attended a Northwestern game last season.
"Of course I watched the NBA Finals, and I think something that me and Thomas, we were talking about earlier, how physical that series was and the kind of kids that we are and things that we're able to bring into that culture is just really exciting," Barnhizer said. "Definitely thrilled to end up in this position for sure."
The truth is, the Thunder won't need to rely on rookies in the playoffs if everything goes right. Sorber and Barnhizer are long-term plays that could contribute down the road when the payroll jumps up. But there's definitely room for them to contribute in the regular season. An 82-game season invites everybody to get some runs in eventually.
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