OKC Thunder Land No. 2 Spot in NBC Sports' NBA Power Rankings

After finishing first in the Western Conference last season, Oklahoma City is poised for another impressive year after a few solid offseason acquisitions.

Apr 27, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder Coach head coach Mark Daigneault / Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports published an updated NBA Power Rankings list, with the Oklahoma City Thunder coming in at No. 2. 

Helin’s ranking comes a few months after OKC finished with 57 wins, earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs. While the Thunder eventually lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the next round, Mark Daigneault’s team should be even better in 2024-25 for a variety of reasons. 

Oklahoma City was one of the youngest teams in the NBA last season and should benefit from of internal development over the offseason. Players like Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and others still have plenty of room left to improve after the 2023-24 campaign and should perform even better with another offseason of work. 

Additionally, OKC had almost no playoff experience entering the postseason in 2024, which ended up coming back to haunt the Thunder during its series against Dallas. 

Now, the team has played in a hard-fought playoff series and will be better prepared for their matchups in the 2025 postseason.

The biggest differences for Oklahoma City heading into the new season, however, is the team’s roster additions. After a lackluster third year in the Modern Frontier, former No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey was traded to the Chicago Bulls in return for standout wing Alex Caruso. 

Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and one block per game in 2023-24, earning NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors. While the 2020 NBA champion is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, he has also developed into a reliable 3-point shooter. 

Last season, Caruso shot 40.8% from beyond the arc on 4.7 3-point attempts per game, which should make him a perfect fit for Daigneault’s system. 

Alongside Caruso, the Thunder also added free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein over the summer. 

Listed at 7-feet tall and 250 pounds, Hartenstein adds size and rebounding prowess that Oklahoma City was lacking on its 2023-24 squad. Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game with the New York Knicks last year, serving as one of the best role players in the NBA.

With the addition of two talented defenders and passers who also bring other skills to Daigneault’s team, the Thunder should be even better than they were in 2023-24. 

The Dallas Mavericks, who also made a few solid offseason additions, came in at No. 3 on NBC Sports’ list.

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