NBA Offseason Power Rankings: Where Did The Thunder Rank?

The offseason power rankings of the Western Conference have been released on NBA.com for the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were ranked No. 11, only ahead of the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs.

This ranking is a two-spot improvement from last year's offseason power rankings, where they landed at No. 13, just ahead of Houston and San Antonio.

Writer John Schuhmann listed a couple contributing reasons as to why the Thunder made the jump from last offseason:

The Thunder were the most improved offensive team last season, scoring "10.4 more points per 100 possessions in 2022-23 (114.2, 16th) than they did in '21-22 (103.8, 30th)."

Also, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the entire NBA in drives per game in each of the last three seasons. He averaged 15.9 points in the paint per game last season, which was the second-highest average for a guard since the statistic was implemented 27 seasons ago.

However, Schuhmann also added a reason as to why the Thunder did not rank any higher than 11.

Oklahoma City finished with the biggest differential between their record vs. the teams below and above .500 last season. While they finished with a 23-11 record against below .500 teams, they only had a 17-31 record against teams above .500, the eighth worst in the entire league.

A key question was also listed in the article: "Who's going to play and who isn't?"

The Thunder right now have too many players on the roster, and some decisions will need to be made in the coming weeks on who to cut or trade before the end of the offseason.

There will be a dilemma on who to play during the season, as some players will be more equipped to help the Thunder win games, while others need playing time for development.

Schuhmann specifically raised questions over the future of forward Aleksej Pokusevski in Oklahoma City, which "might tell us a lot about how ready the Thunder are to win."

It seems Schuhmann views this season as another developmental one for the Thunder, due to the incoming rookies Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace being important pieces that will need time to develop, alongside other young talent like Ousmane Dieng and Pokusevski.

While there could be an argument that Oklahoma City should have ranked higher than teams like the New Orleans Pelicans (who they beat in last season's Play-In Tournament) and the Minnesota Timberwolves, No. 11 is respectable considering the team's ranking last year and the amount of fresh talent coming into the roster.

A placement right alongside play-in contention will do for now, but the Thunder could very well surpass pre-season expectations once again.

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