OKC Thunder Claim Top Spot in NBA Power Rankings

The Thunder took over the top spot in the NBA’s power rankings.

Nov 2, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) passes against the LA Clippers during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

It has been a dominant start for the Oklahoma City Thunder to begin the season. 

After an offseason full of trades, big signings, and draft picks, the organization received plenty of props. The hype machine was running rampant for the Thunder — still the youngest team in the NBA — and rightfully so. Fresh off a season of arrival, the first two weeks couldn’t have gone any better in Oklahoma City.

After defeating the Denver Nuggets handily on opening night, Oklahoma City has rattled off a streak of wins to start the season a perfect 6-0. The grittiest win came on Saturday night in Los Angeles, as the Thunder took down a pesky Clippers team on the second night of a back to back.

Because of the squeaky clean start, Oklahoma City has vaulted to the top spot in the NBA’s newest power ranking edition. Previously, the reigning champion Boston Celtics held the title, but a road loss at Indiana allowed the Thunder to slide in. Behind Oklahoma City is the lone remaining undefeated competition — the surging Cleveland Cavaliers.

“The Thunder have six comfortable wins despite ranking just 15th offensively,” John Schuhmann wrote. “In five of their six games, they’ve held their opponent to at least 13 fewer points per 100 possessions than that team has scored in other games this season. (i.e. the Clippers scored 110.5 per 100 through their first five games, but were held to 92.0 per 100 on Saturday.)”

It’s the best start in franchise history for the young Thunder squad. And the scariest part, is that the team has left a lot of meat on the bone, too.

Oklahoma City’s defense is head and shoulders above the pack, ranking No. 1 in defensive net rating by a wide margin. The team is No. 2 in the association in overall net rating despite having the No. 15 ranked offense — which shows just how dominant the defense has been.

In addition to the inconsistent offense, Oklahoma City is still without its offseason prize. Isaiah Hartenstein was sidelined with a hand injury to start the season, and while he’s still roughly a month away from returning to the court, it hasn’t had a huge impact on the team. After last season, the one hole on the roster seemed to be front court depth, but the team has been able to manage just fine. Chet Holmgren seems to have leveled up, and the small-ball lineups are creating chaos that allows the Thunder to dominate.

Oklahoma City is also playing with strong pace (good for No. 6 in the NBA) which can partly be attributed to the team’s deflections and causing turnovers. It feels like the entire squad knows and understands its identity, and every player brings something special to the floor.

Because the NBA power rankings are on a week by week basis, it makes sense that Oklahoma City slid into the top spot. In all reality, though, the title for the best team in the league still runs through Boston. The Thunder can only control what they can control, though, and a perfect 6-0 start is a great way to start turning heads. Oklahoma City is well on its way to accomplishing their lofty goals this season.

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