The Oklahoma City Thunder are ready to take on a new challenge in 2024-25. After years of low expectations, the bar is set very high for the current OKC Thunder team.
It was easy to get passing grades in back-to-back surprise seasons culminating in a 57-win campaign a year ago that was enough to lift the Thunder into the No. 1 seed in the West and their first playoff victory since 2016.
After being eliminated in six games by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round, Oklahoma City wasted no time in bolstering its roster. The Thunder traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso and signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a massive free agent deal.
That has catapulted expectations for Oklahoma City and puts more pressure on this young team. With the best chance of winning the Western Conference and the second-best chance of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy — behind only the Boston Celtics — the Thunder are about to end a season that won’t be greeted with a single note of praise unless they reach the Western Conference Finals with only a chance of making the NBA Finals.
To achieve these goals, Oklahoma City will need to grow internally. Bleacher Report recently released the top five players poised to make a leap forward in the 2034-25 campaign. Two of the five spots were occupied by members of the Thunder, with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren making the list.
“Jalen Williams fills the spot that Tyrese Maxey occupied at the start of last season: the kind of established star who seems destined to become a staple by the end of the year,” Dan Favale wrote for Bleacher Report. “Limit Holmgren’s second-year options at your peril. Pretty much everything is on the table: All-Defense, All-Star, All-NBA, Most Improved Player, whatever.”
There is growing excitement in Oklahoma City to see this young team take the floor again, mainly to see if it can get the internal development expected from its rising stars.
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