Will OKC Thunder Still be a Championship Favorite Next Season?

The Oklahoma City Thunder made plenty of history last season.

At an incredibly low average of 23.9 years old, it became the youngest team in the history of the NBA to secure a No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and win a playoff series, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in a four-game sweep. Few teams have ever been able to string the same level of success as the Thunder did at its age, even if it fell short in the second round against the Dallas Mavericks.

It was a shock to many that Oklahoma City could already shape itself into a championship contender so early into the rebuild centered around the trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, but sometimes the timeline progresses faster than anyone can see coming. The expectation of championships in the next couple of seasons is already a realistic one, even with the relative lack of deep playoff experience that most of the roster possesses.

However, the Thunder still has to prove it can replicate what it displayed last season, not to mention building on top of it.

Oklahoma City has only gotten to the first stage on its new quest. Sure its last campaign was filled with success and revitalized the direction of the franchise, but it doesn't want that to be its lasting legacy. It wants to be even better next year, make it further in the playoffs and yes, win the NBA Finals.

Getting back to that point isn't so simple, either. Each season has a specialness to it that won't play out the same way in any other, from other team personnel to injuries. The Thunder roster could be shaken up through the draft and free agency, which will create a different dynamic that has to be integrated into the system and team environment.

The ladder in the West is inevitably going to flip-flop, no matter if the Oklahoma City roster can improve or remain much the same. Just like it made a gigantic jump last season, other teams will likely do the same, while others fall down the pecking order. Staying on top in two consecutive seasons is highly difficult to do, as the Golden State Warriors were the last team to do it in the conference between 2014-2016.

The Thunder not retaining its No. 1 seed doesn't necessarily mean it wouldn't have further playoff success though, the Mavericks made it to this year's Finals as a No. 4 seed and plenty of teams in the past have done the same thing. But it's still going to be more difficult to do, and only time will tell if it is capable of making it deeper.

Heading into next season, Oklahoma City should certainly be a championship favorite. Most betting odds have it within the top five, and there isn't anything to suggest that it won't have another high shot at the NBA Finals. It'll just take a little more work and luck to get there,

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