NBA Power Rankings: Knicks may be a disaster; Warriors are dominating the West

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

Even after losing Chet Holmgren, which was a huge loss, the Oklahoma City Thunder have managed to survive in the short term. The big test for this team is whether they could continue to play at such a high level without a key piece to their foundational core. It will be an interesting experiment to watch over the next few weeks of the season. Holmgren is slated to be out for a few months and at best is looking at a late-season return. At this point, the Thunder should not be banking on Holmgren's return at all, though.

If the Thunder want to be successful this season, they're probably going to have to change the pace a bit without Holmgren. Hopefully, the eventual return of Isaiah Hartenstein could help cushion the blow for the team in the frontcourt but it's certainly something to keep a close eye on as the season progresses. And if Holmgren doesn't return for whatever reason, how will that ultimately impact this team's ceiling for this season?

3. Golden State Warriors

Even though there may not be many ready to admit it, the argument could be made that the Golden State Warriors are the biggest surprise in the Western Conference so far this season. I don't think there was really anyone who believed that the Warriors would start this season off as well as they have so far. Whether or not they're a real contender remains to be seen but this is a team that has certainly put themselves in a position to be in the conversation in what could be described as a wide-open Western Conference.

As the Warriors continue to dominate the conference, you can't help but wonder if this team should explore making a big move before the NBA Trade Deadline as an attempt to go all-in on this season. With how the Warriors have started the season, the outlook for this team has completely changed - in a good way. The championship window for Steph Curry with the Warriors may not be entirely closed at the moment.