Even though they’re the second-youngest team in the NBA right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder just dominated the regular season and lookin impressive in the playoffs. If former champion and current NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins is to be believed, they’ll be winning a ring sooner than everyone expected.
Last season, the Thunder fielded a team without Chet Holmgren, their top pick in the 2022 Draft. Without his unique blend of size, defense, ball-handling, and shot creation, OKC almost made the playoffs with a record of 40 wins and 42 losses . During that period, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted averages of 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
This season, though, is an entirely different story. Now with Holmgren in the lineup, the Thunder have unlocked something deadly as the SGA-led squad suddenly has a top-three offense in the NBA. Furthermore, Oklahoma City also boasts a fourth-place defense out of 30 teams, a factor that allowed them to rise to the top of the Western Conference with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses.
At the center of OKC’s resurgence this season is the core of Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Jalen Williams. Although none of the three have significant playoff experience, the trio have successfully led the Thunder to its best run yet since the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook-James Harden era in the early 2010.
Kendrick Perkins Predicts the Oklahoma City Thunder Will Win a Championship Within Three Years
After OKC’s impressive Game 1 win over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, several personalities gave their take on the Thunder’s future. Among them is former NBA champion and current analyst Kendrick Perkins, which can be seen in a video shared by NBA on ESPN’s official X account:
As it stands, the Thunder possess all the requisite elements to become champions in the league. They’ve got a credible option in Gilgeous-Alexander, an effective supporting cast on both offense and defense, and a bench unit that can overwhelm those of other teams. Add their youth, cheap contracts, and a mountain of draft picks to the mix, and OKC has the chance to make the most of their ideal situation within the period Perkins gave them.
It remains to be seen whether Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder can go the distance in the playoffs. In any case, they’ve done more than what’s expected of them this year.
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