The Oklahoma City Thunder may arguably be the best team in the Western Conference. At least, they were last year. The only problem they faced was the inexperience in the playoffs. That’s the only nitpick in a season that ended with a loss to the Mavericks in the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sensational as he led the Thunder to 57 wins and the No. 1 seed last season. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren helped round out their lineup with some improvements.
Key Additions:
As an established veteran, Caruso has seen lots of time in the playoffs with both the Lakers and the Bulls. Caruso will add a solid 3-and-D presence to the backcourt for the Thunder. You had to give up Giddey, but he had fallen out of favor in the rotation.
Adding a guy with interior toughness and rebounding is just what OKC needed. That will certainly help bolster the frontcourt.
The Thunder have set themselves up for success in the near future. Even with their No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs last year, they still were able to select Topic with the No. 12 overall pick. That should bode well for them if he can develop into a solid role player.
Key Losses:
However, not really a huge loss because he had become less favorable. He is still just 22 years old and could turn into a solid NBA player. He’s got some solid skills and can play multiple positions.
Congrats to Gordon Hayward on a well-deserved retirement. The thing that Hayward brought to OKC the most was his leadership.
Rotation:
Starting Lineup – SGA, Caruso, Williams, Holmgren, Hartenstein
Bench – Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Andrew Wiggins, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams, Topic, Ousmane Dieng
Reserves – Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell (TW), Adam Flagler (TW), Alex Ducas (TW)
Season Outlook:
Much of the same should be expected from the OKC Thunder in 2024. In fact, they’ll likely get better. They added enough talent that should be able to help them make a deep run in the playoffs in 2024. The core is still rather inexperienced but the veterans that they’ve added should be able to help.
Projected Finish
Record: 58-24
Finish: 1st in Western Conference
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