Thunder Will Have Competition for Best 2023 Draft Odds
With just hours left until Oklahoma City kicks off their 2022-23 season, an anticipatory feeling has clouded over the NBA.
Likely for just one more season, Oklahoma City will be relying on favorable draft positioning rather than staying in the playoff hunt, and with a young, up-and-coming roster, rightfully so.
But this year, Oklahoma City will have its hands full with plenty of competition. More than the year they selected Josh Giddey sixth overall, and certainly more than last season, when they were able to nab Chet Holmgren second overall.
While both the Western and Eastern Conferences seem to be teeming with more talent than ever before, the looming threat of 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanayama will have several teams vying for spots in the reverse standings.
The teams the Thunder have grappled with the last few seasons, Orlando, Houston and Detroit, should all still find themselves in the hunt for Wembanayama.
Outside of those few constants, several new teams have entered the race. With some offloading of stars, Utah and San Antonio have cemented themselves well in the race for Wembanayama, potentially even as the leaders. Should Indiana choose to rid themselves of talents like Myles Turner and Buddy Hield for draft selections, they could very well find themselves near the bottom of the ranks as well.
Questions marks include teams like Charlotte, Sacramento, Washington, Portland, and more.
While at first glance these rosters look fine, with a few simple changes they could find themselves vying for Wembanyama. And in a season loaded with top Western and Eastern conference contenders, they may just do that.
Charlotte most of all, with LaMelo Ball sidelined for a bit, could choose to enter their name into the sweepstakes.
It won’t be as simple as years past for Oklahoma City to waltz into top odds, but general manager Sam Presti and the Thunder have a grueling Western Conference schedule, and as they near the end of the first phase of there rebuild, they’ll likely get creative.
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