OKC Thunder Headline Early Power Rankings For The 2026-27 Season

The Thunder might not have gotten the job done this year, but they are still expected to next year.

Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after scoring against the Phoenix Suns in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder are still largely considered the best basketball team in the world. 

The NBA season has officially wrapped up with the New York Knicks taking home the crown, defeating the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night to seal the deal. This officially marks the end of the Thunder’s championship reign, as it is now the Knicks title to bear. 

OKC will now have an opponent to dethrone this upcoming season, and will be looking to reach the mountaintop it was on just a year ago. With the conclusion of the NBA Finals, ESPN has already released its power rankings for next season, and the Thunder couldn’t be positioned in a better slot. 

Even after falling short in the Western Conference Finals, Oklahoma City has taken the No. 1 overall spot in the NBA power rankings for the 2026-27 season. This ranks the Thunder above the team that eliminated them, as the Spurs took the No. 2 slot, and even the NBA Champion New York Knicks, who are in the No. 3 slot. 

This seems like high praise for the OKC squad, but in reality, this is right where Oklahoma City belongs. Yes, OKC will have to move some pieces around as they approach the second apron, but just as Anthony Slater describes it, the core is still there. 

“Expect them to bring back a majority of the nucleus that won 64 games and stretched the Spurs to the brink in the conference finals despite missing (Jalen)  Williams, their second-best player, for a majority of the season and that San Antonio series,” Slater said.

The return of Williams to the OKC squad will be one of the key factors in living up to the expectation of dominating the league once again. Oklahoma City found out in the conference finals that it struggled without a true second option, and if Williams had been present, the storyline of this season could have been a lot different. 

On top of returning players, OKC also has the No. 12 and No. 17 picks in this year’s draft to continue to grow its already full pool of young talent. The projected new assets plus the returning ones are all the confidence the media needs to put Oklahoma City back at the top of the league, and now the Thunder just have to prove them right. 

It’s never nice when you have to give up a title, so OKC will have to make sure the title of champion is only in someone else’s hands for one year.