Latest Power Ranking Predicts The OKC Thunder Will Have Work To Do Next Season

The Thunder aren't the top dogs in the latest NBA power rankings.

May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Has this offseason made the Thunder regress?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a much different position this offseason than they were last year. Not only are the Thunder no longer defending a championship, but the team’s roster looks much different as well, with OKC having to move players around in order to avoid financial troubles.

Now, Oklahoma City’s main goal is once again to get back to the mountaintop, but the question is: are they still able to accomplish this? The Thunder didn’t seem far away when their season ended, as they took the San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the Western Conference Finals, even when the team was missing Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams. However, a recent power ranking predicts OKC is still trailing the Spurs. 

Brad Botkin of CBS Sports recently came out with an early power ranking for next season, now that some of the major events of the offseason have occurred, and it does not have the OKC squad at the top. 

The Thunder actually fall at the No. 3 slot, behind the Spurs in first and the defending NBA Champion New York Knicks in the second slot. While it might make sense that the two teams that made the NBA Finals are ranked first and second, Botkin’s reasoning goes deeper than that. 

He argues that the loss of both Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins is a major blow to the team, and that the impacts of rookies Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz are currently unknown. In addition, he argues that the Spurs' young core of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper is only going to get better as time goes on. 

However, Botkin does say there is one key way to swing a series against San Antonio: Chet Holmgren. He describes how if Holmgren can tighten the gap between him and Wembanyama, then that could be enough to get OKC back over the hump and land them the West spot in the NBA Finals. 

Of course, going off the list, OKC would still have to deal with the Knicks, but the Thunder seem to match up with New York much better than San Antonio, and it wouldn’t be a shock if OKC could get the job done in the Finals once again. 

The circumstances might be different, and the Thunder might not be the top dogs anymore, but that doesn’t mean next season can’t be theirs. This list is just a list, and OKC will have its chance to prove it wrong this season on the court.