The calendar has flipped to August. Which means we're in the dog days of the NBA's year-round calendar. Little will happen over the next two months as teams across the league prepare for the 2026-27 season. Before we move on, though, let's reflect one last time on last year.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a league-best 64-18 regular-season record. Juggling injuries all year, they overcame notable absences all year. Alas, they fell short of a second NBA championship with a 2026 Western Conference Finals exit.
To reflect on their 2025-26 season, Thunder Wire will conduct player grades for all 20 players who suited up for them this past year. Sixteenth up is Branden Carlson, who was on a two-way deal:
2025-26 statistics:
- 5.8 points
- 3.0 rebounds
- 0.7 assists
- 52.7% shooting
- 36.0% 3-point shooting
- 57.7% free-throw shooting
Advanced stats:
- True-shooting percentage: 61.3%
- Usage rate: 18.9%
- Win shares: 1.7
- VORP: 0.4
Significant Percentile Finishes:
- Transition scorer: 83.3 percentile
- P&R roller: 42.9 percentile
- Spot-up scorer: 58.6 percentile
- Putbacks: 89.3 percentile
Contract:
- 2026-27: $2.4 million
Thoughts:
Living out the dream, Carlson finally had his hard work pay off. His second year with the Thunder helped him keep his NBA dream alive. He's enjoyed a Disney-esque journey as his proved to be too good to be on your typical two-way deal. The 27-year-old was a super-rich version of a fourth-string center. Because of OKC's constant injury problems, he pitched in during the regular-season marathon.
Carlson played above his pay grade. The Thunder fully utilized his 50 regular-season game limit with 42 appearances. There was no space for him to get converted to a standard roster spot, but OKC got its bang for its buck with his contributions along the way. As they faced a depleted frontcourt, he helped out when needed. Whether in spot minutes or starting opportunities.
The Thunder had an NBA-quality stretch big on a two-way deal. Carlson showed in his two seasons that he can space the floor with his outside jumper. The seven-footer was also a constant lob threat. The advanced metrics loved him despite his limited sample size. He might've been slow-footed on defense, but his block numbers were a little surprising. He had several positive moments throughout his tenure.
When there weren't minutes available, Carlson put up monster numbers on the G League's OKC Blue. He was a constant double-double threat. And his size allowed him to bully the competition. To end the regular season, he had two consecutive 20-plus-point games. It was a nice treat to be gifted as his two-way status made him ineligible for the NBA playoffs.
Among all of OKC's two-way gems, Carlson is sneakily one of the better ones in recent years. He always produced at both levels in his two years on the Thunder. And there's always going to be a demand for outside shooters. Especially if they're centers. Because of his production, he finally earned a standard roster spot this summer. Albeit elsewhere.
Moving Forward:
By the end of Carlson's second year, it was too obvious he was too good to be on a two-way deal. And because of OKC's stacked frontcourt room, there was no space for him on the 15-player roster. Alas, that's where the Portland Trail Blazers came in. They signed him to a one-year, $2.4 million deal this offseason. He's expected to be part of their center depth. Maybe not the immediate backup per se, but certainly as the third-stringer.
At this point, Carlson is mostly a finished product. Not much room for your game to grow once you're 27 years old. That said, he's perfectly fine as is. He's a seven-footer who can space the floor and roll to the basket. He's not a plus defender but can hover in the paint. With two years on the Thunder, he gained some notoriety across the league.
To the point that Carlson achieved the NBA dream of a standard deal. Finally, his hard work had paid off. Quite the journey for him after he went undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft. The Thunder liked him from the jump and ensured they'd keep his rights for a couple of years. That's a win for OKC's scouting department as he turned into a serviceable NBA player.
Now, time to see if Carlson can take on a bigger workload. He'll have more responsibilities on his plate. The Trail Blazers are expected to be a postseason team. He'll need to help out with that. He has plenty of pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop partners to work with. Portland's roster is littered with household-name guards. Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. Let's see if he can play his way to another NBA contract a year from now.
Final Grade: A
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2025-26 Thunder player grades: Branden Carlson