The Thunder who are coming off of an incredible season last year, saw them become the youngest one seed in NBA history. This offseason they were able to add Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to the mix. Because of that, the Thunder are expected to finish first in the West again and are favorites to come out of the West. Now the question becomes, which team out West is the biggest threat to the Thunder?
Last year, the West was very competitive and had 11 teams above .500. This year will be no different, but with the Memphis Grizzlies being healthy. There is a good chance that 12 teams in the West could be over .500 next year. Furthermore, there will be a lot of teams in the West that could be threats to the Thunder, but which one will be the biggest? Today, we will rank the four biggest threats to the Thunder.
Ranking the Biggest Threats to the Thunder Out West
4. Memphis Grizzlies
Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies hit the injury bug hard. Most of their impact players missed significant time last year including Ja Morant. Although, that was not the case in the previous two seasons. In those two seasons, they were the second seed in the West, winning over 50 games. They were supposed to be the next up-and-coming team in the West. Unfortunately last year they took a step back with injuries and off-the-court issues of Morant. Since other teams out West have gotten better the Grizzlies aren’t expected to be at the top, but still a good team.
The trio of Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane can match any other trio on other teams. The only question is can they stay healthy? If they can, plus all the good role players they have, and the addition of Zach Edey. They are a team in the West that can go past their win projection and be a team no one wants to play come playoffs. With all of that being said, that is the reason they are the dark horse team out West.
3. Denver Nuggets
For the last couple of seasons, The Denver Nuggets have been the best team out West with the best player in Nikola Jokic. They were able to win the NBA Championship in 2023. However, they didn’t look like that dominant team last year in the playoffs. They were unfortunately eliminated in seven games, by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Furthermore, the Nuggets couldn’t just run it back this year, they had to improve somewhere. Unfortunately for them, they did the opposite. They lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, their best perimeter defender, to the Orlando Magic. Their first-round pick DaRon Holmes II is going to miss his entire rookie season with a torn Achilles. Finally, the only additions they made were adding an aging Russell Westbrook to the mix and signing Dario Saric as a backup big man.
Furthermore, the Nuggets are going to be looking for players like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Zeke Nnaji to step up next year. However, even though the Nuggets lost important pieces, and other teams out West added talent. As long as the Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, they are going to have a chance. However, since the Nuggets lost talent, they are going to take a step back. Because of that, they aren’t the biggest threat to the Thunder out West.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves might be the biggest Wildcard team in the West. For the past three seasons, they have made small improvements. In the 2021-2022 season, they made the playoffs and lost in the first round. The next year they did the same thing. Finally, this past year was a big improvement and saw them win 56 games and claim the third seed. They were able to make it to the Western Conference Finals, due in large part to the emergence of Anthony Edwards. Unfortunately, they lost to the Dallas Mavericks.
The reason they are a wildcard in the West is that they didn’t add anyone, but also didn’t lose anyone. They are essentially running it back next year with the same team. The only addition they made was adding Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon in the draft. However, if Anthony Edwards can take another major leap next year, they will be a big threat to the Thunder. The reason they aren’t the biggest is because the team that beat the Timberwolves last year got better.
1. Dallas Mavericks
Finally, that brings us to the Dallas Mavericks, which are the biggest threat to the Thunder. The team is led by the dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Dallas was the team that eliminated the Thunder last year in the playoffs. They did this even without a 100% Luka, who was dealing with plenty of injuries in that series. After eliminating the Thunder, they went on to beat the Timberwolves and advance to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, they lost to a more experienced and talented Boston Celtics team.
Even with making the NBA Finals, the Mavericks didn’t just want to run it back with the same squad next year. So, they went out and got Klay Thompson. However, with the addition of Thompson, they did lose their best perimeter defender in Derrick Jones Jr. Regardless, the addition of Thompson is going to be huge for the Mavericks. He will be able to get a lot of good looks with the pressure and command that Luka and Kyrie will draw. The Thunder and the Mavericks both got better and could set up a rivalry in the West for the next five-plus years. This is the reason why they are the biggest threat to the Thunder next year they beat them once already and got better in the process.
