Also bought a ThinkPad a few months ago, right away installed Linux (Fedora). I didn't even second guess, just straight up formatted away the yucky pre-installed Windows 11.
I tried openSUSE, but the only distro that seems to play with DisplayLink (or, actually it's the other way around) is Ubuntu. And I like Ubuntu as a server, but not as a desktop...
Dell WD19S or Cable Matters USB C docks (201055, 201056) have been flawless for my org all with Fedora laptops. For thunderbolt Caldigit has some decent options but you are still looking at $200-300 for anything decent.