ESPN predicts Oklahoma City Thunder domination will continue in 2024-25

ESPN predicts the Oklahoma City Thunder will continue to dominate the Western Conference in 2024-25.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made one of the biggest jumps in the NBA last season. After winning 40 games during the 2022-23 NBA season, OKC made a 17-win jump to finish with a 57-25 record en route to finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last year. Despite the impressive performance in the regular season, the inexperienced Thunder faltered in the Western Conference Semifinals at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.

Even though the Thunder didn't end the season as they'd hoped, it was still difficult to view the 2023-24 campaign as anything but a success. During the offseason, the Thunder did well in adding to their team. They opened the summer by trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso and then signed Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. With the upgrades the Thunder made this offseason, coupled with the expectation for even more internal improvement, it's clear that the expectations will be high for Oklahoma City heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.

In their NBA win-loss projections for the 2024-25 season, ESPN believes the Thunder will pick up where they left off last season. In their predictions, ESPN has the Thunder finished with 57 wins again while snagging the best record in the West. My question is, can the Thunder avoid potential regression and do they have another step forward in their progression as a team?

Do the Oklahoma City Thunder have another gear?

In theory, you'd have to expect a bit of regression for the Thunder. They're a young team that could struggle with consistency. Who knows if there's a Chet Holmgren sophomore slump coming or if the likes of Jalen Williams and the rest of the team's supporting cast have another gear forward? At the same time, the Thunder's front office also did a solid job of putting themselves in the right position to combat that.

The additions of Caruso and Hartenstein are moves that should help protect the Thunder from such regression. Caruso should be an excellent tool in the backcourt opposite of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hartenstein should help if there are any concerns about Holmgren in year 2.

When you look at it that way, it wouldn't be that outlandish for the Thunder to zoom off to another 57-win season. ESPN may be right in their projections of the clear arrival of the Thunder.

The other big question is, does OKC have enough to make a deeper run in the Western Conference playoffs? Because if the Thunder do finish as the No. 1 seed again in the conference, that will be the expectation for the team.