Where the Western Conference was concerned, in the run-up to the NBA regular season, it was the Oklahoma City Thunder that were tipped as the team to keep an eye on in 2023/24. They have a young team, but one with real quality. However, there was a difference between being a team to watch out for and being one with real championship credentials. But recent odds movements are telling a different story of late.
At the beginning of the 2023/24 NBA regular season, people betting on basketball online would have likely considered Oklahoma City Thunder as an option because there was a thought they would be there or thereabouts in the Western Conference. They could call on the likes of young talent Chet Holmgren, for example, but this gave the impression that the team’s time wouldn’t be now. It would be further down the line in the future.
Give the team and the budding talent they have the time to develop in the right way, and they will become a force to be reckoned with. That was the general consensus. And it made a lot of sense to think that way, all things considered. But while many felt they were unable to mount a serious title challenge immediately, they currently lead the way in the Western Conference at the time of writing, and their time could be now.
What’s even more remarkable about their current direction is that Oklahoma City Thunder are fending off defending champions Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves with relative ease, and they look to have the confidence to carry on doing so between now and the end of the campaign. Of course, they haven’t won anything yet, but now sports betting operators are consistently adjusting their odds where Thunder are concerned, which is telling.
Expectations were high in some respect heading into the campaign because of the roster of young talent at Oklahoma City Thunder, but the team is undoubtedly exceeding all expectations right now, and if they get the job done, it would be something quite remarkable as this could be the team and set of players to dominate the Western Conference at the very least for years to come.
The NBA Playoffs begin on April 20, and this will be the true test for the Thunder. There’s a clear difference between being a good team that’s in form and buoyed by confidence and being one of the elite teams that stand out from the crowd. Some believe that being an elite team is what the future holds right now, but that this is a group of players that are probably not just at that level quite yet.
A further indication of this will be if the Thunder can prove themselves to be the best in the West, especially when you consider the Nuggets and Timberwolves are in the mix and fantastic teams in their own right. This season will certainly act as a yardstick and indicate what’s to come in the next several years.