Despite having one of the best records in the NBA and the odds-on favorite to win MVP, it seems a lot of teams don’t take the Oklahoma City Thunder seriously as a title contender this spring.
After moving on from team great Russell Westbrook at the tail end of the previous decade, the Oklahoma City Thunder went into an understandable down period. As they looked to rebuild back to being a competitive team. And after some hard work, smart scouting and player development, OKC has grown into one of the West’s best.
The 2024-25 season is a new high point. They own the best record in the conference. And are on pace to have their best win total since they moved from Seattle in 2008. Furthermore, they have an elite defense. And top star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently the favorite to win this season’s MVP award.
They have the makings of a serious contender to reach the NBA Finals this spring and bring the franchise its first championship. But it seems many around the league don’t see things that way according to ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst.
Related: Where do the Oklahoma City Thunder land in our latest NBA power rankings?
Oklahoma City Thunder not being taken seriously by West rivals?
oklahoma city thunder
Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
“My god, there is an incredible amount of disrespect for this team,” Windhorst said on a new edition of Get Up. “I hear it implicitly from other people I talk to in the league. I hear it implicitly from players out there who are like, ‘Yeah, we will be fine on the same side of the bracket as OKC’.’They just don’t respect them.”
The opinions around the game baffled the long-time NBA insider. In his mind, they are a deep and versatile team that “dominates” on the defensive side of the ball and have a star who can drop 30 “without breaking a sweat.” He admits they have their flaws and are young. But he firmly believes they can absolutely win a championship this spring.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on pace to potentially win 65 games this season. Which would break the record of 64 set by the 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics. A team that reached the NBA Finals that season.
Related: Where does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rank among the 50 best NBA players right now?