The Oklahoma City Thunder has quickly climbed the ranks among the best teams in the league.
After a surprising 40-42 campaign last season saw them finish a win shy of the playoffs, the Thunder have gotten off to a hot start this year with a 13-6 record and sit in second place in the Western Conference standings.
One of their most wins of the season happened recently, as the young Thunder blew out the Los Angeles Lakers with a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
That type of statement win against the most marketed team in the league will draw eyes from the national media.
When discussing the game on First Take, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith sang the praise of the Thunder and what they’ve built over time with this young core.
“To me personally, the story here is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a star. Let’s get that out of the way. We’ve been talking about Wembanyama, by the way, Chet Holmgren can ball. The brother can — I mean, he can ball.
I’m looking at the youth on Oklahoma City, the fresh legs, the athleticism. This is a team that is no joke and we better all take stock, pay attention.
Sam Presti has done an exceptional job in building this team. I think that it would be nice to see them get over the hump and finally win a championship, since with the great players that he’s had in that organization over the years. But the man clearly knows what he’s doing. He’s one of the elite executives in this game and they’ve got it.
I mean, I like Oklahoma City a lot… These brothers are really, really good. They are on the come up. Keep them together for a while if you can afford to.”
As the Thunder get better, it’s only natural they get more of the national spotlight. Expect that to continue to be the case as it appears OKC is in the infant stages of a contending window.
