OKC Thunder: What it Will Take for West Contenders to Win NBA Title

After securing an NBA championship last season, the OKC Thunder have a target on their backs. They still likely return the best roster in the NBA and the teams surrounding them didn't necessarily see the biggest upgrades.

ESPN recently released a predicted order of finish for both conferences, one that featured the OKC Thunder at the top. The Thunder, no one's surprise, were at the top of the list. Everyone around them also isn't all that surprising, but it still seems like those teams would have to substantially improve to reach the heights that OKC did.

Here's what each of the Western Conference's "contenders" needs to do to capture an NBA championship.

OKC Thunder

The Thunder are predicted to finish first in the conference according to ESPN and they already have the blueprint to winning an NBA title.

After extending their core three players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, they have a chance to replicate last season. There's no reason for any sort of defensive drop-off and if those core guys can improve offensively, it should be even easier.

A lot of the team's success depends on Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to be as productive as he was in seasons prior. He's shown no signs of dropping off, but he has set quite a high bar for the future.

Houston Rockets

After adding former Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, the Rockets are expected to take another huge jump up the Western Conference standings. This team's success will drastically depend on what Durant decides he wants to do, and vice versa.

The former Thunder forward is obviously a ball-dominant, score-first player, but what made Houston so successful last season was their ability to spread the wealth.

Houston will have to make sure that Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet stay as involved as possible in the offense. Players like Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. will also need to show signs of growth to lead the depth pieces of the team.

Denver Nuggets

Any team led by Nikola Jokic will have a chance at making it to the NBA championship, proven by the year prior. Even though Denver wasn't as dominant as they were last season, Jokic and guard Jamal Murray did everything they could to give themselves a chance.

That being said, there's only so much Jokic can do. The additions of Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. should prove to be useful ones, but they will have to help out Jokic more than the depth on their roster compared to years past.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Similar to the Nuggets, there's only so much that Minnesota's superstar guard Anthony Edwards can do. Edwards has led the Timberwolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, but they have failed to advance past that point.

Minnesota is running back practically the same team, so they should be able to contend once again. The gameplanning aspect of their performances likely will have to change if they want to bust through that conference finals ceiling.

LA Clippers

LA made some fascinating veteran moves this offseason that have a chance to push them deeper into the playoffs. Bradley Beal, Chris Paul and forward John Collins all should raise the ceiling of this team, which is still led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.

If injuries begin to plague this team like they have in the past, that's when things could get rough. If an injured Clippers face the Thunder in the playoffs, the two teams' depth just won't compare. Staying healthy will dictate how far this team can go.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are in a truly unique situation with LeBron James and Luka Doncic. That duo alone should be enough to make a title run, yet the team has struggled to find success outside of those two. Austin Reaves has stepped up, but outside of him, there isn't much consistency.

Someone outside of those three guys needs to emerge as a consistent presence on both sides of the ball. Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith could be perfect examples of that.

OKC has the defensive ability to lock down James, Doncic and Reaves. If those three are off, against Oklahoma City's offensive firepower, that could make a significant difference in a playoff series.