Inside The Thunder

ESPN Analyst Would be 'Very Surprised' if Thunder Are Not No. 1 Seed

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites out West and one ESPN analyst would be 'Shocked' if the Thunder are not the No. 1 seed.

Rylan Stiles

Dec 8, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after a basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after a basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites to win the Western Conference by any measure. From the plethora of media pundits picking the Thunder to win the conference to the eye test of a 57 win team making vast improvements this offseason and even down to the Vegas odds putting the Thunder at the top of the West anywhere you look.

As preview season ramps up, the OKC Thunder are set to receive plenty of hype and it started on Tuesday during an edition of ESPN's NBA Today mid-day show. In which, respected basketball analyst Zach Lowe professed he is all in on the Bricktown ballers.

"[The Thunder] Loaded up in the offseason. Isaiah Hartenstein swiped him from the Knicks, Alex Caruso swiped him from the Bulls, they both fill needs, they add depth. I would be surprised if the Thunder are not the No. 1 seed in the West...They are built to win a ton of regular-season games. They will be a tough playoff team too, the playoffs are just a different animal for a young team. They are going to be a dominate regular season team," Lowe said.

As Oklahoma City bolstered its roster, this appears to be the right mindset heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. While the Western Conference will present a challenge, the Thunder are just simply deeper - and better - than their counterparts.

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Rylan Stiles

RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network. 

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