ESPN’s Chris Russo Lists Oklahoma City in His Early Top Five

If the Thunder exceed expectations by a long shot once again, at least one media member will be able to say I told you so.

Oklahoma City was projected to win right around 24 games last season, with some experts predicting as low as 18.

Of course, that wasn’t the case, as the Thunder marched to a 40-win season and a berth in the NBA’s play-in tournament. The team stole a road game in New Orleans before losing in a winner-take-all battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA world took notice, though, and many people saw Oklahoma City’s high ceiling on the horizon.

With Chet Holmgren set to return and the Thunder slated to pick at No. 12 in the NBA Draft next week, Oklahoma City could be primed for another breakout season. Another year of growth for the team’s core could take the team to new heights. Jalen Williams enjoyed a breakout rookie season, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting to Paolo Banchero, while Josh Giddey took a big sophomore season jump. Wildcard players like Ousmane Dieng and Aleksej Pokusevski could raise the Thunder’s ceiling that much higher.

ESPN’s Chris Russo seems to be higher on the Thunder than anyone else, ranking the team in his top five heading into the 2023-24 season.

“I love the draft picks, Holmgren comes back, the Oklahoma City Thunder are No. 5 on our list,” Russo said. “This team made the postseason this year, they knocked out New Orleans and had a chance to beat Minnesota — they have a lot of talent.

“Gilgeous-Alexander is a great player, the other kid, Giddey, is good. I’m telling you right now, Holmgren’s coming back, the kid from Gonzaga, he missed all of last year and they got a million draft picks. They have the kid from Arkansas (Jaylin Williams) and the other kid with the same name from Santa Clara (Jalen Williams) — this team is gonna be a big time time.”

Obviously, Russo needs to touch up on the Thunder roster a bit before raving about them on national television. He forgot Gilgeous-Alexander’s name and wasn’t able to add much about the team’s blossoming core. But the fact that any national media members are picking the Thunder to take a top ten leap next season is a big deal — Oklahoma City hasn’t been in a spot like this in five years.

There's not many people who expect the team to jump into the NBA's top five category, but avoiding the play-in and making the playoffs could be a real possibility for the Thunder. Last season the team desperately needed a rim protector, and adding Holmgren to the equation should do wonders for the team as a whole.

"Next year might be a little premature," Russo said. "But they’re not that far away from 50 wins.”

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