The groups for the second edition of the NBA Cup have been revealed, and the Oklahoma City Thunder to find oneself in West Group BThe group includes several other competitive conference opponents, including the San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz.
While it’s certainly not an easy group, the Thunder appear to have benefited from a favorable draw, avoiding many other contenders.
With that in mind, here are the power rankings for every team currently scheduled to compete in Group B of the Western Conference.
The San Antonio Spurs are in the midst of a rebuild, but they’re certainly off to a good start. The team is led by a unique talent in Victor Wembanyama, who has lived up to expectations since entering the league.
His blocking is already unmatched, and with an improvement in his offensive game, he will quickly establish himself as one of the most impactful two-way players not only in the league, but of all time. That being said, the roster around him is young, inexperienced and underdeveloped.
Devin Vassell is a great second option, and he gives the Spurs fantastic shot-making ability on the wing and elite scoring, averaging just under 20 points per game in 2023-24. Other interesting additions to the Spurs include fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Stephon Castle, and, most notably, veteran point guard Chris Paul.
Paul and San Antonio are a perfect couple.
The intelligence and basketball IQ shared in the locker room between CP3 and Gregg Popovich is unmatched, and absorbing and listening to as much as they can from the veteran minds will be extremely crucial in the development of the young Spurs.
This team is absolutely capable of creating surprises and getting hot, and the Thunder experienced that last season: On March 1, Wembanyama led the Spurs to a 132-118 victory with 28 points and 5 blocks.
Additionally, there is no doubt that Victor Wembanyama has OKC on his schedule for every game because of the growing tension and rivalry brewing between him and Chet Holmgren. In their short NBA careers thus far, Wembanyama has won the one-on-one battles, but Holmgren is 2-1 against him.
Spurs remain the weakest team in this group and it would be surprising to see them qualify for the knockout stages. They simply don’t have the depth or talent to compete with the other teams in this group and would likely need to win at least three of their games.
Wembanyama is going to be scary this season, but the talent around him is not yet up to par with his quality.
