The Oklahoma City Thunder have justified those who bought early stock in them after their surprisingly successful season last year.
Through 12 games, the Thunder are a respectable 8-4 with their most recent win coming against the Golden State Warriors.
Possessing arguably the best young core in the league and an All-NBA player in his prime, the Thunder have received praise from national pundits on both their short-term and long-term future.
During a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, former player and current analyst Kendrick Perkins likened this year’s Thunder to last season’s Sacramento Kings, who surprised the entire league by going 48-34 and gaining the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
“It’s not just the short term,” Perkins said. “(OKC) is going to be above the Warriors. They’re going to make the postseason. You know who the Oklahoma City Thunder is going to be this season? Who the Kings were last season.”
"You know who the Oklahoma City Thunder is going to be this season? Who the Kings were last season."@KendrickPerkins sees playoff potential in the Thunder đź’Ş pic.twitter.com/TX009wzBBY
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 16, 2023
After finishing a win shy of the play-in tournament last season, the next step in the young Thunder’s development is to make the playoffs and have a competitive first-round series.
If the Thunder have a season similar to what the Kings had last year, that’ll be a resoundingly successful campaign and a clear sign of progress for OKC’s core.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]