ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is confident in a Thunder over Mavericks picture regarding the Western Conference standings next season. Does Perkins have a point? Is OKC the better team despite Dallas picking up Klay Thompson?
Thunder Over Mavericks: ESPN Analyst Appoints Western Conference Favorite
Kendrick Perkins Takes Thunder Over Mavericks
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins has the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference this season. This would be a bold take if the Thunder hadn’t crept up on the West with blazing speed last year. Finishing at the top in the conference (albeit tied with the Nuggets record-wise at 57-25) from being the fourth and final play-in team in the 2022-23 season is quite the jump. The Thunder did it, though; now, they have everyone’s attention.
Those keen on the Thunder include Kendrick Perkins of ESPN’s NBA Today, who talked with colleague Tim Bontemps considering who will reign in the West next season. Perkins believes that OKC will, while the Dallas Mavericks might run into some trouble.
“They will probably be second, maybe third [in the West next season],” Perkins says of the Mavericks. “The best team in the West will be Oklahoma City, especially with getting Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. I have a problem with looking at the Dallas Mavericks and wondering who will guard that out there. Who is going to be their defender to stop the other guys? Yes, they are going to have offensive power. And then it will come down to Luka as well. Is he going to come into training camp in shape?
Bontemps chimed in with his focus on Klay Thompson’s impact.
“One, I think Oklahoma City, there’s a bigger gap between them and the top of the West than between Boston and the top of the East,” says Bontemps. [The] Thunder are, to me, to get out of the West. When you look at Dallas, Klay Thompson’s impact will be on the offensive side.
Maverick’s Defensive Drop Is Legitimate
Bontemps went on to illuminate the defensive struggles that may ensue for the Mavericks, which the Thunder may avoid. Thompson has been no scrub in his playing career on the defensive end of the floor. In his prime as a Warrior, his perimeter defense was outstanding, which led to All-Defensive Team honors in the 2018-19 season. Lately, though, his defensive capabilities had dropped significantly in Golden State, aided and victimized by a handful of serious injuries. Bontemps draws a point in this regard, as does Perkins when referencing guarding certain players.
OKC’s Drive for the Top
The Thunder do have a defensive advantage over the Mavericks. The offseason additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso were impeccable pick-ups for the Thunder. Hartenstein showed his best last season during the Knicks playoff run. On the other hand, Caruso has always been a defensive ball of energy and tenacity, going back to his days with the Lakers, and he’s never ceased. Now, both teams improved this summer, no doubt. Despite Thompson not being the classic splash-version of himself any longer, he can still shoot threes and contribute offensively. There is reason to believe a new start in Dallas was the best thing for him, and great things can come from playing with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
Having said that, Thompson’s addition might not be enough to jump over the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might just be way too good, and the Thunder’s youth and defensive improvements are too much for the Mavericks to contend with. Regardless, a second consecutive playoff matchup between the two organizations would be a welcoming scenario when this season is all said and done.
