NBA Power Rankings: Re-seeding the Western Conference after a busy offseason

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder may have lost in the Western Conference semifinals but this is a team that might be in the best position to finish with the best regular season record in the conference. With the two big moves they made this offseason, in acquiring Alex Caruso via trade and then signing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, the Thunder are in a position where they'll be able to pick up where they left off last regular season - even more so if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgre can take another step forward in their progression as individual players.

I'm still not sold on the Thunder being playoff-ready to make a run to the NBA Finals but there's no question this team could be considered one step closer toward emerging as a perennial championship contender. Ultimately, I believe the Thunder is still a year away from making that jump.

But as far as the regular season is concerned, the Thunder should probably be considered the team to beat heading into the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.