OKC Thunder Own Top Spot in Power Rankings Despite Underwhelming Month

Despite being in a rut, Oklahoma City still held the top spot in the new version of NBA power rankings. Looking across the NBA, it makes sense — the Thunder currently own the best record in the league, and the point-differential is unmatched. For much of the season, Oklahoma City has been dominant.

The recent stretch might be less of an indictment of how strong the Thunder’s roster is, and more of an indication that they aren’t invincible. After the first few months of the season, Oklahoma City was sneaking towards historic levels and eyeing the NBA wins record, almost seeming immortal. The Thunder still have arguably the best team in the NBA, but they have holes that recent opponents have been able to expose.

After a day off, the hope should be that a home loss to Charlotte was a wake up call for this talented Thunder team, and enough to snap them out of the spell they’re under. Going 6-6 across the last 12 games isn’t ideal, but the full body of work is more important. All of this team’s goals are still attainable, and Oklahoma City still has a strong argument for the best team in the league.

With the trade deadline slowly creeping up, there’s not necessarily anything Oklahoma City needs to do unless it’s at the personal preference of management. This team has all the talent to win now. And after extending the core three players, it remains to be seen how motivated they’ll be to take on any new, big contracts.

The Thunder’s depth, record, and overall dominance outside of the recent losses point to why ESPN kept them in the top spot of the power rankings.

“Rival executives are predicting a quiet deadline for the Thunder,” Anthony Slater said. “They're 6-6 in their previous 12 games, but there's a sense that it's more of an inevitable lull than some fatal roster flaw for the 30-7 defending champions. If general manager Sam Presti did go searching for an upgrade, he has plenty of draft assets to dangle.

“But the rotation is chock-full and the Thunder's future financial flexibility is limited. Extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren kick in next season, bumping their combined salary from $20.2 million to $83 million.”

Oklahoma City has a good chance to reassert its dominance over the next few weeks of basketball. The two biggest opportunities are glaring, and could easily get the Thunder back on track. On January 13th and January 15th, Oklahoma City will square off against the Spurs — who have accounted for nearly half of the team’s losses this year — and the Rockets, who are considered a serious contender.

For the first time this season, the power rankings might've taken a few extra thoughts, and Oklahoma City wasn't a shoe-in. But for now, they remain in a familiar spot — at the top.