The Oklahoma City Thunder are a trendy pick to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals next season, and why not?
They finished with the No. 1 seed in the West this past year and they boast one of the most tantalizing stables of young talent in basketball.
One of the most prominent pieces of the Thunder’s core is big man Chet Holmgren, who just earned massive recognition for Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale.
In a piece where Favale named the five NBA players most destined to break out next season, Holmgren made the list.
“Put a cap on Holmgren’s Year 2 possibilities at your own peril,” Favale wrote. “Virtually anything—All-Defense, All-Star, All-NBA, Most Improved Player, whatever—is on the table.”
Holmgren was selected by the Thunder with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, but missed the entire 2022-23 campaign with a foot injury.
As a result, last season was effectively his rookie year. He started all 82 games, averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over 29.4 minutes per game on 53.0/37.0/79.3 shooting splits. Holmgren finished second in Rookie of the Year voting as a result.
The Gonzaga product is a terrific two-way player and is already considered one of the top contenders for the Defensive Player of the Year award next season.
We’ll see if Holmgren can take a big step forward in 2024-25.
Will the Oklahoma City Thunder make significant progress next season?
The Thunder were bounced out of the second round of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks this past spring, and they have their sights set on much bigger goals next season.
You can chalk up Oklahoma City’s 2024 playoff exit to a lack of experience. The Thunder are an incredibly young team, with 26-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander representing one of their “veterans.”
But heading into the 2024-25 campaign, OKC now has some much-needed playoff burn under its belt, so it should be able to handle the pressure of postseason basketball much better this time around.
Between Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams (who also made Favale’s list, by the way), the Thunder have a phenomenal nucleus of players that could very well make a run to the finals next June. Let’s also not forget Lu Dort, who is establishing himself as one of the league’s best defenders.
Of course, Oklahoma City will have quite a bit to contend with out West. The Mavericks are still there, the Minnesota Timberwolves should be better, the Memphis Grizzlies are getting healthy and you can never discount Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
However, the Thunder may very well represent the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics’ throne.
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