Oklahoma City enters the new season with a target on its back and a spot near the top of the league hierarchy.
That’s the message from a recent ESPN tier ranking by Zach Kram, which placed the Thunder in the “Championship favorites” group alongside the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. The three teams were described as having a realistic path to the NBA Finals, and Oklahoma City stands out as the one trying to prove it can get there after falling short last season.
The Thunder had plenty of regular-season firepower a year ago. They opened with a stunning 24-1 start and kept rolling all the way to a 64-18 finish, the best record in the NBA. Injuries were part of the backdrop throughout the year, but they didn’t slow Oklahoma City down until the postseason hit.
Once the playoffs began, OKC kept its momentum going. The Thunder swept their first two opponents and made it back to the Western Conference Finals. That run ended there, though, as a battle with a hungry San Antonio Spurs team went the distance and Oklahoma City came up short in seven games while still dealing with the injury bug.
Now the conversation shifts to what comes next. The Thunder are expected to be in strong position again, but this season carries a different kind of pressure. They are the only team in that top tier that wasn’t in this exact spot last year, and that puts the spotlight squarely on them.
There’s also a roster wrinkle to sort through. Oklahoma City is the only team in that group that has to replace a starter after Lu Dort’s departure, and Cason Wallace is expected to step into that role. That change adds another layer to a season where the standard will be high from the start.
If the Thunder are healthy, the margin for excuses gets a lot smaller. The expectation now is that their stars and role players both take on bigger responsibilities and help push the team toward the level it showed at times last season.
Of course, rankings in September don’t decide anything. The Thunder will have to back it up on the floor, and they get an immediate chance to do that on opening night against the Spurs. From there, the goal is simple: keep building until there’s no question who belongs at the top.
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Sam Presti Just Avoided The Roster Drama Another Contender Faces
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For Oklahoma City, the contrast is a pretty comfortable one. Sam Presti already has extensions in place for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the two 2022 draft picks who helped power the Thunder to the 2025 championship, which means one of the league's more important young cores is secured while another contender is still waiting for clarity. [Read more 🡒]
Aday Mara Enters Thunder Camp With One Immediate Problem
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Thunder May Soon Face A Tough Jared McCain Decision
After making trades designed to stay clear of luxury tax penalties, the Thunder are now staring at a familiar kind of roster problem: too many promising young guards and not enough easy answers. Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain are all expected to matter in Oklahoma Citys next phase, giving the team real depth and long-term upside in the backcourt.
The tricky part is that not every piece can be treated the same when extension season arrives. McCain is still a valuable player, but the Thunder are likely to view Wallace and Mitchell as the bigger financial priorities, which puts the front office in a familiar balancing act between talent and cost. Keeping all three around as they develop may force some tougher planning down the road. [Read more 🡒]