The time has come for a new young team to set the pace.
The Thunder are going into the 2024-25 season as the heavy favorites to win the West. No other team has a win-total projection within four games of them and they boast +340 odds to win the conference where second place is Denver at +450. It seems crazy to hold such a young team in such high regard when the Western Conference is littered with experience, but as the Mavericks know very well, this is a team worthy of praise. After jumping from “fun and young” to “contender” last season, the Thunder are running it back with a reinforced lineup, playoff experience, and a hunger to take what they could not a year ago.
Oklahoma City Thunder (Over/Under 56.5 Wins)
Key Adds – Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso
Key Losses – Josh Giddey
The number-one team in either conference rarely improves their roster without sacrificing anything. The last example that comes to mind is when the 73-9 Warriors added Kevin Durant. This is not as extreme as that, but the Thunder adding two versatile pieces while only losing Josh Giddey (who was not even on the court in the fourth quarter at season’s end) is quite the feat. Similarly to Golden State, however, the Thunder’s 2024 felt like the Warriors’ 2014: a good playoff showing with their youth implying the best is yet to come.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a superstar in a great spot to win his first MVP. He is the unquestioned leader of that team but the roster runs deep. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are coming off of excellent second years (yes, technically it was Holmgren’s second as a pro) and both will likely make a jump to All-Star level play, whether or not they make the team in February. Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace are intriguing young guards they can bring off their bench and both looked promising to end last season. Oklahoma City is loaded with young talent and the veteran additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso shore up their experience and defense to add insult to injury for the rest of the league.
The Thunder are the perfect regular-season team. They have enough shooting to allow their defense to take over on most nights and will win 5-10 games just by tiring the opponent out. If they can stay healthy, which they were able to do last season, they will be a juggernaut. 60-plus wins is realistic for this team and the West should be theirs to lose.