OKC Thunder Will Live up to High Expectations in 2024-25 Season

After gaining a No. 1 seed last season and making some additions in the offseason, the time is now for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) and forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrate a win over the New Orleans Pelicans after game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Before last season, the spotlight hadn't yet shined on the Oklahoma City Thunder. It had a record of 40-42 in the 2023-23 season, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In Tournament to keep it from getting to a first-round series.

That season was the first true step to an upward trajectory since the "bubble" team during the summer of 2020 disbanded, showing a ton of progression from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the strong rookie debut of Jalen Williams.

Then came the 2023-24 season, where Oklahoma City jumped to the very top of the Western Conference in a widely surprising emergence. Aside from continued growth from its roster, the long-awaited debut of Chet Holmgren added a new dynamic and true defensive anchor that it had been severely lacking.

All a sudden, the Thunder were legitimate championship contenders once again. Gilgeous-Alexander officially placed himself in the upper echelon of the best players in the league, giving himself another strong MVP case along with a playoff series win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Oklahoma City doesn't plan to make that a one-off appearance, either. The timeline has caught up to the present, with its core being amongst the most talented in the NBA even at a considerably young age.

To help build on last year's progression, the Thunder made some big moves over the offseason. It started with the trade that sent Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso and ended with the signing of Isaiah Hartenstein. Both veterans will bring incredible defensive intangibles to the roster, which was already ranked as one of the best defensive teams before.

With all of this comes increased expectations. Oklahoma City will be looked at as one of the top teams in the West to beat, and it shouldn't stray far away from a No. 1 seed again. After some added playoff experience too, its playoff run will also be expected to go deeper than the second round.

The Thunder is more than prepared to do this. Between the contributions of Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren, a lineup full of depth and talented role players along with natural growth of chemistry, it shouldn't have a problem living up to those expectations. It knows what it takes to get to the top, and it should only be getting easier from here on out.

Potentially getting to the NBA Finals may still be a tall order for now, but if everything comes together the way it should, Oklahoma City could be eyeing the biggest prize in basketball already.

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