Oklahoma City has spent the last three seasons sitting near the top of the West without much drama, but next year could ask more of the Thunder than the past few have.
The Thunder have grabbed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference three straight times, and they enter next season with a real shot at making that four in a row. That kind of run puts them in rare company. Still, the road back to the top may be more crowded this time around, and the biggest reason could be the Northwest Division itself.
Minnesota and Denver remain the obvious problems. Both teams have enough star power to make every meeting with Oklahoma City feel like an event, even if their depth has questions hanging over it. Those matchups have already turned into the kind of playoff-level battles that shape the Thunder’s regular season, and that won’t change anytime soon.
What has changed is the rest of the division around them. Over the past three seasons, the Northwest Division has produced 10 playoff appearances, with nine of those coming from Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Denver.
That has made the Thunder’s division race feel manageable in recent years. It may not be that way now.
Portland was the one other playoff team from last season, and the Blazers were the club that handed Oklahoma City its first regular season loss in November. After a first-round exit, Portland made more noise this offseason by adding Ja Morant and getting Damian Lillard back from injury, which gives the Blazers a different kind of punch heading into the West.
Utah also looks like it could be a problem down the line. The Jazz are being viewed as a legitimate threat to reach the playoffs in 2027, and their mix of Jaren Jackson Jr., Darryn Peterson and the rest of their young core gives them a more dangerous ceiling than they’ve had in a while.
That matters because divisional games make up nearly 20% of Oklahoma City’s schedule. If the Northwest Division is as deep as it looks on paper, those nights can pile up quickly and make life harder for the Thunder’s chase for the No. 1 seed.
Nothing is settled yet, especially after all the offseason movement. But the broader picture is clear enough: Oklahoma City may not get the same easy path through the Northwest Division that it has enjoyed in recent years.
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With the roster changed around him, there is a real chance for the Thunder to lean into that versatility and see how far it can go. More touches for Hartenstein would not just be about feeding a big man in the post, it would be about testing whether Oklahoma City can find another offensive lane that complements its star guard and makes the whole system harder to guard. [Read more 🡒]
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Thunder Face A Tough Nikola Topic Call Sooner Than Anyone Wanted
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Topics limited NBA runway has only made the call tougher. Oklahoma City has seen enough to be intrigued, but not enough to remove the questions that naturally come with a young guard who has barely been on the floor, and the organization now has to balance patience with the practical side of team-building before the deadline hits. [Read more 🡒]