Thunder remain West favorite, while Rockets and Nuggets expected to make push

Get ready to hear this a lot: the Thunder are the team to beat in the West. They just became the youngest NBA champion in nearly 50 years, and they’re bringing back everyone. No rotation holes. No chemistry questions. Just continuity.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 27, in his prime, and coming off MVP and Finals MVP honors. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are rising stars who just locked in long-term. Oklahoma City flirted with 70 wins last season and could do it again.

The Rockets surprised everyone by grabbing the No. 2 seed last year before flaming out in round one. Their front office wasted no time plugging the obvious hole, landing Kevin Durant as their go-to closer without blowing up their young core. That’s a major swing, and it gives Houston a real shot to stick near the top of the standings for years.

Denver also attacked a weakness. After watching the Thunder push them around late in the playoffs, the Nuggets went out and flipped Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first for Cameron Johnson. The idea is simple: more depth around Nikola Jokic. Three MVPs are great, but Denver wants another parade, and they weren’t going to stand pat.

Then there are the Lakers, who might be the most fascinating team in the mix. Luka Doncic is the future, but LeBron James is still here, still in the spotlight, and still making L.A. must-see. That dynamic alone ensures drama, but the question is whether it results in actual wins when the games matter most.

Here’s how ESPN projects the top of the West:

1. Thunder: 64–18
2. Rockets: 54–28
3. Nuggets: 53–29
4. Timberwolves: 51–31
5. Clippers: 50–32
6. Lakers: 50–32

The defending champs have the inside track. But Houston’s bold swing, Denver’s tweaks, and the Lakers’ star power will keep the West from being anything close to boring.