Thunder’s future gets promising outlook from Charles Barkley

NBA analyst and Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley labeled the champion Oklahoma City Thunder as the team to beat in the NBA, coming off its championship season, and expects things to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Locking their core three players — All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren — into max deals while on the cusp of their prime years, the Thunder are in a position to compete for titles.

While reiterating his frustration with ESPN during the 2024-25 campaign, Barkley says the Thunder were the team to beat last season, and will be in the same position next season as defending champions, per Yahoo! Sports.

“Well, I went off last year on ESPN. I didn’t know I was going to be working for them,” Barkley said. “All they talked about all the time was the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. I’m like, neither one of those teams is a contender. Why do you talk about them every day? I said nobody can beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. I said Denver’s got a shot at it. But that’s it. Now, I think the Rockets got a shot at it. But I said halfway through the season, nobody can beat that team four times.”

After trading for All-Star Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets are projected to be a legitimate threat to the Thunder at the top of the upper echelon of the Western Conference. Still, Charles Barkley expects the Thunder to remain on top ahead of the Rockets and the Denver Nuggets.

“They’re gonna be the favorites for the next three or four years,” Barkley added. “They’re young. They’re talented. They’re very well-coached. Now, the Rockets have had a great summer. So have the Nuggets. But those are the top three teams in the West right now.”

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