If the Oklahoma City Thunder are to obtain the first pick in the 2023 NBA draft to acquire Victor Wembanyama, the strength of schedule will play a huge role.
According to league analyst Ed Kupfer’s model, the Thunder have the hardest schedule in the NBA for the 2022-23 season. The model takes into account opponent strength for every team besides the Brooklyn Nets, days rest for the team and opponent and if it’s a home or away game.
The model concludes that the Thunder — by a significant margin — have the strongest schedule in the league.
Fellow draft lottery competitors San Antonio, Houston and Indiana make up the top-four for the hardest schedules in the league.
NBA 2022-23 strength of schedule. Model inputs are opp strength (via vegas, aside from the Nets), days rest for team/opp, and home/away. pic.twitter.com/Pa3EHnBZFD
— Ed Küpfer (@EdKupfer) August 18, 2022
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