After examining the NBA’s league-wide schedule for the 2024-24 regular season, one point was further proven — the Oklahoma City Thunder did not get the same treatment as their peers.
Despite being the first seed and advancing to the final eight last year, the Thunder ranked 11th in the league in national television broadcast, excluding NBA TV appearances.
11th? Seriously? For last year’s first seed and second-best overall record manned by the MVP runner-up? To add insult to injury, only three of the Thunder’s 15 national contests will be at OKC.
While the league partially amended its error to leave OKC out for Christmas and Opening Night, it did the bare minimum for the Thunder. A scheduling mishap that can cost them down the road.
The Thunder should be paraded with fellow title contenders next season. After all, they will be a member of that exclusive club for the foreseeable future.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has broken out as one of the best players in the league. Expect the 26-year-old to put up nonchalant 30-plus point performances. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams will only improve and should flirt with All-Star status next season.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is one of the best young minds in the league. GM Sam Presti has built a deep roster filled with young talent and endless potential.
Even considering the small-market tax, the Thunder should’ve been paraded more often this season. A notable bump from last year’s total — the second-best improvement in the league — is only putting perfume on a self-imposed mess.
Among the 10 squads ahead of the Thunder, some are more understandable than others. The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks will always be the league’s darlings due to their sheer market size and rich history.
The Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks and — to a certain extent — Golden State Warriors are also reasonable. All three franchises roster a single player with cult-like followings with Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry. They alone are a billion-dollar enterprise.
But the Milwaukee Bucks? Who are fresh off their worst season in recent history and could see the departure of Giannis Antetokounmpo soon? They’re on the downslope.
Or what about the Minnesota Timberwolves? Who are in a similar tier as the Thunder but get more national TV games and featured on the two biggest nights of the regular season?
Gilgeous-Alexander is a better player than Anthony Edwards right now. That should mean the former should enjoy the national spotlight more than the latter next season until proven otherwise.
And finally, what about the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns? Both were worse than OKC last season and it’s easy to project that the gap grows as time passes.
The NBA has shown its true feelings about the Thunder and it only confirms the chip OKC fans carry on their shoulders when it comes to the lack of national respect they get.
Being late to the party is one thing. Nobody should be upset that the league failed to schedule the Thunder for several national television games last season. Their ascension took everybody by surprise.
But the NBA has had all offseason — and really, nearly a year — to catch up to conventional wisdom about the Thunder. Instead of showing up late with an apologetic pizza to the house party, they flat-out ghosted OKC’s ascension.
It didn’t happen this year, but sooner or later, the league must grit its teeth and treat the Thunder like one of the best teams. Even if it means abandoning their old method of marketing individual players over anything else.
