This year, the Thunder were able to shock people by becoming the youngest number one seed in NBA history. It was a feat few expected from a team still considered to be a couple of years away from contending. Even though they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, it was still a successful season for them. Now, after having one of the best offseasons from any team this year, the question becomes, what should the Thunder’s expectations be next year?
With how well they did this year, and adding the talent of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso to the mix, a lot of people will expect the Thunder to make it to the NBA Finals. However, that is not what history has told us to expect. Usually, teams that are rebuilding have a year where they just miss the playoffs. Then the next year, they make the playoffs. The next step is to make a deep playoff run. Then finally, they are ready to make a run to the finals. The Thunder have been a somewhat unusual team, so predicting what their expectation should be is more difficult than people think.
What Should the Thunder’s Expectations Be Next Year
Why The Conference Finals Should be Their Floor Next Year
Putting an expectation on this Thunder team can be tricky. One thing that should happen is for them to improve and build on last season’s success. They made it to the Western Conference Semifinals last season and lost in six games. With that being said, you want to see at least some improvement and not go backwards. That is why making it to the Western Conference Finals should be their goal next year. Although making the NBA Finals is every team’s ultimate goal, they shouldn’t be too disappointed if they don’t.
The additions of Hartenstein and Caruso on paper make the Thunder at least a top-three team in the West. However, history tells us that they are not quite there yet to be a finals or bust team. As a Thunder fan, you should hope to just keep seeing improvements, especially from players like Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.
How Can The Thunder’s Expectations Shift to Finals or Bust
The Thunder’s expectation should not be NBA Finals or bust. There is a path for that to be the case in 2025-26 though. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at a level that is good enough to be the best player on a championship team. However, as we saw this year in the playoffs, his co-stars Willams and Holmgren aren’t quite ready yet. Now if they can take that step forward next season and become more consistent in the playoffs where it’s not all on Shai’s shoulders, that is the path for them to be a clear NBA Finals favorite.
If they just make small improvements and still aren’t quite ready, it won’t matter how good Shai is and how improved they are with Caruso and Hartenstein. If Holmgren and Willams can’t get to the level they need to be next year, their ceiling should not be finals or bust. The Thunder are hoping even though they are still young, they can get there sooner rather than later while Shai is still playing at this MVP-type level.
