Who Is the Thunder’s Biggest Threat in the Western Conference?

Even with these solid additions, the Lakers are still far too flawed to be a serious threat to Oklahoma City and some of the other top-end teams. Their interior presence is lackluster outside of Ayton, and their guard duo of Austin Reaves and Doncic leaves far too many holes in the Lakers’ defense. They also lost a three-and-D player, Dorian Finney-Smith, to the Houston Rockets in free agency.

Their constant activity at the trade deadline always gives them a chance to improve, but as of now, they are not a Tier-1 contender in the West.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets made the most significant move of the offseason by trading for all-time great Kevin Durant. Durant is a perfect fit for Houston — he offers superb jump shooting, along with his ability to run pick-and-roll. Many of their shortcomings from last season will be addressed with the addition of him and Finney-Smith.

Houston’s young core is elite, featuring Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun, all of whom have phenomenal potential, particularly Thompson. He is a highly versatile defender and one of the most gifted athletes in the sport’s history. While still flawed, he has also shown very promising flashes on offense.

The sky is the limit for the Rockets this season. Barring another significant Durant injury, the Rockets are well-built for the regular season and have a decent shot at overtaking OKC as the No. 1 seed.

Unfortunately for Houston, Fred VanVleet tore his ACL in a workout this offseason. His absence means young players, notably 2024 third-overall pick Reed Sheppard, will need to make major offensive leaps to say they should be the best team in the West come playoff time.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers have been a huge story this offseason because of the scandal going on with Kawhi Leonard and the organization. Outside of their off-court issues, they’ve done a great job of retooling this offseason. They brought in Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, and John Collins, and their biggest move was essentially swapping Norman Powell for Bradley Beal.

Their depth is exceptional, allowing them to employ numerous lineup styles. Despite his gruesome time with the Phoenix Suns, Beal is still a very valuable player. His off-ball scoring has consistently been one of his strengths, and he is a more effective offensive player than Powell. Lopez also fixes their backup center problem that severely limited them at times last season.

The Clippers’ talent might be the greatest it has ever been in the Kawhi era, but the primary concern for this team not making it far in the postseason will always be injuries. In addition to the injury concerns, there is the question of whether Kawhi will face a suspension due to the scandal.

Their talent will always keep them in a playoff position, but there are too many questions currently to predict a Finals run.

Denver Nuggets

After a Game 7 blowout loss against OKC, the Nuggets knew they had to make some changes. They did precisely that — they traded Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson and signed important role players Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr.. Johnson is the perfect fit for Denver — he is a superb catch-and-shoot player, a connective passer, and a defensive upgrade from MPJ.

Denver’s defense was very disappointing last regular season. They had the ninth-worst adjusted defensive rating in the league (116.18). In the playoffs, they showed a clear improvement, consistently applying pressure to OKC and great perimeter defense from Christian Braun. Their additions of Brown and THJ will vastly improve the bench shooting, one of Denver’s major weaknesses last season.

They will always be a spectacular regular-season team with Nikola Jokic. There is no doubt they will be a 50+ win team once more and have a premium seed in the West.

Denver was OKC’s biggest threat in the West last season, and after their offseason upgrades, they are sure to be neck-and-neck with them once more.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Western Conference runner-ups didn’t stand a chance against OKC in the playoffs. Minnesota lost in five games, with Game 5 being a 30-point blowout. The Timberwolves have had a quiet offseason, re-signing Naz Reid and Julius Randle, along with losing important bench piece Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency.

With no change in the roster, the only way to assume Minnesota improves is if superstar Anthony Edwards takes another leap. Edwards has unlimited potential, showing he is already one of the league’s best at 24 years old.

It was apparent last season that the T-Wolves are a poor matchup against OKC — Julius Randle‘s bruiser offensive game is ineffective against them, and OKC has a wave of defenders to guard Edwards.

Minnesota will continue to be a great regular-season team with their stifling defense, and see playoff success against a lot of teams besides the Thunder.

Who’s the Thunder’s Toughest Opponent?

The Thunder’s two most formidable opponents in the regular season and playoffs are the Rockets and Nuggets. Between the two teams, the nod slightly goes to the Nuggets. Denver has proven to be a solid matchup for OKC, and Jokic is still the best player in the world. The big three of Jamal Murray, Jokic, and Johnson consist of proven playoff players, while Houston still leaves some doubt.

The Nuggets will give the Thunder serious competition for the best team in the West during the regular season and the Playoffs.