Will The OKC Thunder Take The Western Conference In Second Straight Season?

It could be another incredible regular season in Oklahoma City.

Dec 14, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) walks to the bench with forwards Chet Holmgren (7) and Jalen Williams (8) and guard Luguentz Dort (second from right) during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder's arrival a season ago was loud. They went from being a 40-win team barely making the Play-In Tournament to winning 57 games and owning the top seed in the Western Conference.

There was plenty that went the Thunder's way last regular season. For one, they were one of the best 3-point shooting teams while maintaining some incredible health along the way. Still, they finished atop the incredibly tough conference.

Could the Thunder find themselves atop the Western Conference again in the 2024-25 NBA season?

First, the Thunder's roster is important. Continuity is strong in Oklahoma City, and they're returning most of their core production from last season minus Josh Giddey -- who was traded to the Chicago Bulls. There certainly doesn't seem to be any step backward coming from the returning core of talents, and the Thunder even added Alex Caruso, who came from the Giddey trade, and Isaiah Hartenstein via free agency.

More than likely, there's a leap coming for this Oklahoma City roster. The production a season ago came from players primarily under the age of 25. There's plenty of development to be had among the young core while adding two key role players in Caruso and Hartenstein.

Looking at the rest of the Western Conferences -- continually hyped up teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors likely won't do too much. The LA Clippers got substantially worse when losing Paul George and the Phoenix Suns seem to be stuck where they're at from a team-building standpoint.

The Dallas Mavericks brought in Klay Thompson in a move that should pan out and improve their team after an NBA Finals berth, should he have somewhat of a bounce-back season. Another one of the top teams in the West a season ago was the Denver Nuggets, who lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this offseason -- a key starter who brings defense and shooting. They'll be slightly worse this season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are another team that will be atop the West once again, as they finished No. 3 in the conference last season. They'll have a similar season next season, too -- meaning the Thunder, Mavericks and Timberwolves could very well round out the top teams in the conference next spring.

Given the Thunder's roster additions combined with young talent with more time to develop, Oklahoma City could very well be a 60-win team.

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