NBA Power Rankings: Will any team dethrone the Celtics or Nuggets in NBA Playoffs?

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

At worst, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to finish as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Considering that this team didn't even qualify for the NBA Playoffs last season, I'd say that's a pretty big step forward in their progression as a franchise. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be a strong MVP candidate and Chet Holmgren likely finishes second in the NBA Rookie of the Year race. The young Thunder have finally arrived and are going to take the playoffs by storm. They'll likely have their work cut out for them as an inexperienced playoff team, but why can't the Thunder make a deep run? They certainly have the talent to do so.

No matter what the Thunder does or doesn't do in the playoffs, this is a team that has an extremely bright future. As long as they can remain healthy and continue to add to their supporting cast, the Thunder should be able to compete for a championship soon.

And if they're able to add a star next to SGA, Holmgren, and the rest of this supporting cast, the Thunder could take another big step forward next season. That's a scary scenario for the rest of the West teams.