It’s an exciting time to be an Oklahoma City Thunder fan. Last season saw the fruits of several years of labor finally bloom – a little ahead of schedule, perhaps – with a young, dynamic team gaining the No.1 seed in the Western Conference. As widely reported, the front office had a good offseason, adding quality to an already excellent roster. It’s made many pundits stick their necks out by saying the Thunder will rule the West, and perhaps that they represent the biggest threat to the Celtics’ charge for title no.19.
And yet, the Western Conference is stacked. A measurement of both power rankings and sportsbooks’ NBA odds suggests that 12 of the best 18 teams in the NBA are in the Western Conference. Those are only projections and may mean little once the season heats up, but it does suggest that there are some decent challengers of the Thunder for supremacy in the Western Conference.
But who are those teams? Let’s look at some of the names below:
Denver Nuggets
They haven’t gone away, you know. The Nuggets failed to defend their title last season, but they did tie the Thunder for 57 wins. Oh, and they also have the world’s best ball player Nikola Jokic. Much will depend on the Russell Westbrook experiment, but there is an argument that the Nuggets are much stronger than last season. Sportsbooks rank them just behind Oklahoma City to win the Western Conference.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Sometimes you can have all the talent in the world in terms of statistics, yet human nature gets in the way. That was partly the story for the Timberwolves, who were predicted to have the best chance of winning the NBA Championship in ESPN’s BPI index before the beginning of last season. That didn’t transpire, of course, but the talent is still there in abundance. Like the Nuggets, it feels like some fans are sleeping on Minnesota’s chances.
Dallas Mavericks
Available around the same odds as the Timberwolves – about +450 – to win the Western Conference Finals, last season’s NBA Finals runners-up have also strengthened. Klay Thompson is clearly not in his prime anymore, but his quality and nous will be a difference-maker for a team whose run to the Finals last season will hold them in good stead.
Phoenix Suns
Hmmm. Here’s the thing: there is a massive gap in terms of odds between the Oklahoma City Thunder, the three teams above, and the Phoenix Suns. They are as big as +1600 with some sportsbooks to make it to the NBA Finals. Will they? Probably not. Yet, they quietly had one of the best offseasons in the NBA, adding Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee, and Monte Morris. The Suns were one of the biggest disappointments of last season, but that does not mean you should rule them out of this one.
Memphis Grizzlies
Everyone knows what went wrong for the Grizzlies last season. A historically bad run of injuries meant that Memphis simply couldn’t get its best team on the court. That meant a team that won over 50 games in 2022/23 could only manage 27 wins. A reversal is on the cards, but only if the core remains healthy throughout the season.
Los Angeles Lakers
D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Rui Hachimura. That’s a formidable starting 5 and one that went 18-6 when playing together last season. If that group stays healthy and gets some support, then there is nothing to say that the Lakers won’t defy the odds by being in contention. Are they better than the other teams on this list? Probably not, but there is still quality in abundance in yellow uniforms this season.
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Featured Image: Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
