OKC Thunder Benefits From Playing in Western Conference

The Oklahoma City Thunder have benefited from playing in the Western Conference according to Sam Presti who held his preseason media availability on Sunday.

Jan 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks to pass the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) plays defense in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Iron Sharpens Iron as the old saying goes, which is an adage Oklahoma City Thunder executive Sam Presti clearly believes in.

Playing in the rough and tumble Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder are tested nightly and a year ago, much to the surprise of the NBA world, rose to the challenge to rattle off 57 wins and earn the No. 1 seed in the league's deepest conference.

Becoming the youngest ever squad to accomplish such a feat, Presti tabbed the grizzled Western Conference road as a reason why this young squad was prepared to compete at the highest level - and has returned to contender status so soon.

"The other thing that accelerates us in my opinion is playing in the West. I'm not so sure that we would be a team of our current caliber if we didn't play in the Western Conference because it is very hard because the quality of the teams is so good, but I think the mere fact that we have to play in the West every single night has accelerated our development curve, and we haven't -- like I said before, no one is throwing the doors open for the Thunder no matter what. They're not throwing rose petals at our feet and trying to make it easier," Presti said at his preseason media availability on Wednesday.

"But the Western Conference I think sharpens the blade in a way that's very unique. I think it may have helped us make some of these jumps. So when people go from how do you go from 16 -- whatever it is, make a 16-game jump and then another jump the next year, the answer is a lot of good fortune and hard work from the players and the coaches," Presti continued

"But I think the other part about it is if we could go back and look when it's all said and done, I think it might be having to play in the Western Conference every night," Presti opined.

Perhaps being tested every single night by the West did help the young Thunder - as opposed to playing in the East with more than a handful of games that could easily be won off getting out of bed alone and forming bad habits.

Sam Presti saying the Western Conferenced helped the Thunder accelerate their timeline is so interesting, something I mentioned on Dream Team - I feel like the no nights off out West helps eliminate bad habits. pic.twitter.com/1srq8o5hp4

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) September 26, 2024

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