ESPN: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives 3rd-most votes for 2024-25 MVP prediction

ESPN: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives 3rd-most votes for 2024-25 MVP prediction.

It’s the middle of August, which means the NBA calendar has entered its slowest portion of the year. Most of the offseason work is done and teams now await the start of the 2024-25 season.

To kill time, ESPN has published its annual “Summer Forecast” series. The exercise allows its media experts to give their opinions on some of the major storylines for next year.

Among the questions, a first-place vote receives five points, a second-place vote gets three points and a third-place vote gets one.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been featured in several questions. But one of the more important storylines revolves around who wins MVP this upcoming season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had two straight top-five MVP finishes. He was runner-up last year. It feels like it’s due time for the 26-year-old to capture the prestigious award.

Among the ESPN voters, Gilgeous-Alexander is ranked third among players most likely to win MVP with 37 points. He is behind Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

This is a little surprising to see. Gilgeous-Alexander would serve as a fresh face to win the award and has a strong case if the Thunder repeat as the top seed. He’s been one of the most efficient scorers in the league and that should continue.

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Chet Holmgren addresses rivalry with Victor Wembanyama, claims there’s no beef

Chet Holmgren addresses rivalry with Victor Wembanyama, claims there’s no beef.

As new powerhouses emerge in the Western Conference, expect the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs to return to their glory days.

That also comes with the bonus of seeing Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama square it off in high-stakes environments.

Both seven-footers have been compared to each other throughout their basketball journeys. The similarities are astonishing. They are generational defensive talent who can handle and shoot the ball. They both went top two in back-to-back draft classes and headlined last year’s rookie class.

Despite that, Holmgren doesn’t believe his rivalry with Wembanyama is personal. It stays within the court as two highly-competitive individuals fight it out.

The 22-year-old addressed this in a recent Paul George’s “Podcast P” episode.

“I would just say us being competitors,” Holmgren said. “We played against each other before we were even in the NBA. People be like ‘Y’all got beef?’

“I’m like, ‘Beef? We’re out there competing, but beef means when I see you we’re fighting, you know what I mean?’ Why do I got beef with him? I honestly don’t even know the guy. We just play basketball against each other.”

Holmgren further explained that any animosity he might have toward Wembanyama is purely about trying to get wins. Both players have done an admirable job of avoiding taking shots at one another when given the opportunity.

“As competitors, neither of us wants to lose, and neither of us wants to let the other person get a bucket or anything,” Holmgren said. “We’re always going to compete and if people take it as we got beef, those people don’t really understand competing I guess.”

This is a pretty reasonable answer at one of the league’s juiciest rivalries. It’s evident how badly it wants Chet vs. Wemby to become a storyline as all three of the Thunder’s matchup against the Spurs will be on national television next season.

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The Western Conference isn’t as scary as it seems for the Lakers

Lakers fans shouldn’t fret too much about the competition in the Western Conference.

The narrative around the Los Angeles Lakers these days is that they’ve had a terrible offseason and that they won’t get much accomplished this coming season. While the former is true, the latter may or may not come to pass.

One argument more cynical fans and pundits have made against the Lakers having any real success is that the Western Conference will be much tougher this coming season. In their minds, a bunch of teams will be substantially better, leaving the Lakers to idle in the dust.

But a closer examination puts that claim in some real doubt.

In the 2023-24 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the top seed in the West with a 57-25 record. The Denver Nuggets were second with 57 wins of their own, and the Minnesota Timberwolves were third at 56-26.

After that, there was a considerable drop-off of sorts. The Los Angeles Clippers, who have been the darlings of the national media for most of the past five seasons and have often been overwhelming favorites to reach the NBA Finals, won a mere 51 games. The Dallas Mavericks, who did reach the finals, finished fifth with a 50-32 record.

Then came the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, both of whom took home 49 victories. The Lakers, of course, had the seventh-best record in the West at 47-35.

Here’s a look at who should be better, who should be worse and who will roughly stay put. As you will see, there is no one for the Lakers to truly fear in the Western Conference right now.

Chet Holmgren gives Cooper Flagg praise for scrimmaging against USA Basketball

Thunder forward Chet Holmgren praised Duke commit Cooper Flagg for taking on the challenge of scrimmaging against USA Basketball last month.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren praised Duke commit Cooper Flagg for taking on the challenge of scrimmaging against USA Basketball last month.

Flagg, the consensus top recruit in the class of 2024, participated with the select team in a run against the senior roster ahead of the Olympics. He was the first collegian to participate with the select team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013.

He went viral after some highlights surfaced on social media and earned high praise from Kevin Durant and team director Grant Hill. He also earned respect from Holmgren on “Podcast P” with Paul George for wanting to compete against the likes of LeBron James, Durant and others.

It is impressive not only because you can see some of the different skills he has in his skill set, but also just understanding the situation. He is 17 and hasn’t played in a college game and is coming in hooping against the highest level of basketball players pretty much in the world. I respect him for that, and I feel like I can understand where he is coming from. I’m trying to go hoop against the best wherever it might be, and I can see that with how he moves.

Flagg, who turns 18 in December, dazzled in spurts in the scrimmage. From splashing 3-pointers in front of Anthony Davis, to drawing defenders such as Jrue Holiday, Flagg put on a show against a roster that won its fifth straight gold medal.

The 6-foot-9 forward was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Nokomis Regional High School. He played last season at the Montverde Academy in Florida and chose coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils over UConn and Kansas.

Flagg is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, ahead of Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson and Dink Pate, among others.

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ESPN: Thunder’s Alex Caruso receives 3rd-most votes for biggest impact on new team

ESPN: Thunder’s Alex Caruso receives 3rd-most votes for biggest impact on new team.

The 2024-25 regular season kicks off in less than two months, meaning rosters are mostly set for all 30 NBA teams.

ESPN conducted its annual “Summer Forcast” series. The exercise allows its media experts to give their opinions on some of the major storylines for next year.

Among the questions, a first-place vote receives five points, a second-place vote gets three points and a third-place vote gets one.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were mentioned in a couple of polls. They are viewed as a title contender following a first-seed finish last year and a productive offseason.

One specific move received a lot of praise from ESPN’s voters. The Thunder’s acquisition of Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls for Josh Giddey was seen as one of the biggest impact additions this offseason.

Caruso received the third-most votes at 31 points. Paul George and Mikal Bridges were the only players ahead of him in the final voting results.

The 30-year-old is a seamless fit with OKC’s starters. He’s a 3-and-D starter who will improve both sides of the floor. Caruso has been an All-Defensive member for the last two seasons.[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander NBA 2K25 overall rating revealed

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander NBA 2K25 overall rating revealed.

It’s August, which means less than a month remains until NBA 2K releases its latest edition of the annual video game. As NBA 2K25 gets closer, overall ratings leak out for publicity.

The Oklahoma City Thunder rosters one of the best-rated players in this year’s game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has ascended into one of the best players in the league with back-to-back top-five MVP finishes.

To start this year’s game, Gilgeous-Alexander has a 97 overall rating. This is a personal best and a four-point jump. The 26-year-old is tied for the third-best rating with Luka Doncic and Giannis Antekounmpo.

Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid rank ahead in the best two spots, each with a 98 overall rating. Those five players make up the top five in NBA 2K25 in its first rounds of ratings.

This is a respectable debut number for Gilgeous-Alexander. He can climb even higher if he puts up another monster 30-point campaign on a title contender this upcoming season as many expect him to. NBA 2K25 releases on Sept. 6.

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OKC Thunder will face tough start to 2024-25 regular season

OKC Thunder will face tough start to 2024-25 regular season.

Right out of the gates, the Oklahoma City Thunder won’t have much room for error to start the 2024-24 regular season.

The Thunder unveiled their 82-game slate recently as the calendar creeps closer to starting training camp in less than two months. OKC hopes to repeat its success from last season as the first seed.

To achieve that goal, they will need to get off to a hot start and fight through any possible adjustment periods needed for Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso — who will be two of the top-six rotation players.

The Thunder have the fifth-hardest strength of schedule in October and November among last year’s playoff squads. OKC’s early opponents had a combined .512 win percentage last season.

A slow start might dampen the Thunder’s ambitions of the first seed. Hovering around .500 could put them behind the marathon as 57 wins was barely enough to get the first seed last season.

Overall, it’s a daunting schedule for the Thunder, who are also tied for the most back-to-backs at 16 this year, an increase from last season’s 14 total.

Regardless of seeding, what’s more important is how strong the Thunder look at the end of the season and the health of their top pieces. Those two variables are more important than chasing a few spots in the standings.

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OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves to face off 3 times in 4-game stretch

OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves to face off 3 times in 4-game stretch.

The Oklahoma City Thunder revealed their 2024-25 regular season schedule. This means that it’s time to examine how the slate is laid out during the 82-game grind.

After a first-seed finish last season, the Thunder hope to repeat that accomplishment this upcoming campaign. They enter the year as title favorites after a productive offseason.

One important stretch during the Thunder’s season will happen in February 2025. They will play the Minnesota Timberwolves three out of four games from Feb. 13-24.

All three contests will be on national television. The Thunder travel to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves via TNT on Feb. 13. It is OKC’s final contest before the 2025 All-Star break.

After the break, the Thunder will travel to face the Utah Jazz on Feb. 21. It’s a nice one-game break before they battle the Timberwolves in a road-and-home back-to-back from Feb. 23-24.

The first contest will be on ESPN with an 8:30 p.m. CT tip. A back-to-back that features travel is already grueling as is. Toss in the layer that includes the late tip on the first night and standard tip on the second night — 7 p.m. CT — then it complicates important games.

The Thunder and Timberwolves were two of the best teams in the Western Conference last year. Their seeding wasn’t finalized until the last day of the regular season. Expect a similar finish this upcoming season between the squads.

Tiebreakers could prove vital once more. That’s why this three-in-four-games stretch will be crucial for seeding aspirations for both the Thunder and Timberwolves.

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NBA 2K25 overall ratings for OKC Thunder rookies revealed

NBA 2K25 overall ratings for OKC Thunder rookies revealed.

It’s August, which means less than a month remains from the annual release of the NBA 2K video game. NBA 2K25 — which releases on Sept. 6 — will provide gamers the first chance to play with the latest versions of rosters among the 30 NBA teams.

To tease and build excitement, NBA 2K has slowly released players’ overall ratings. They can change throughout the 2024-25 regular season. It recently revealed the ratings for the top rookies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have three entrants from the 2024 NBA draft. Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell were all selected within the first 38 picks.

Topic has a 72 rating; Jones has a 69 rating; and Mitchell has a 68 rating.

These are pretty respectable beginner ratings for all three players. The Thunder don’t expect much from their rookie class this upcoming season.

Topic will be redshirted as he recovers from a torn ACL. Mitchell is limited with his two-way deal. Jones is the only one of the trio who could see minutes throughout the season but that’s a distant possibility barring health.

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OKC Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein continues to work on 3-point shot in offseason

OKC Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein continues to work on 3-point shot in offseason.

After landing Isaiah Hartenstein, the Oklahoma City Thunder hope the 26-year-old has room to grow. He’s fresh off a career season with the New York Knicks where he stepped up as the starter once Mitchell Robinson went down.

The campaign landed him a massive deal with OKC. He provides them with some serious size and rebounds. After playing without a traditional backup big, the Thunder now employ arguably the best in the league.

A wrinkle to Hartenstein’s game he could add is his outside shot. He’s never truly been asked to be an outside shooter in his career. He’s totaled 87 career three-point attempts. He only took three last year.

But on the Thunder, that could be something he could add to his repertoire. It looks like he’s spent some offseason time sharpening his craft. In a recent video, Hartenstein showed off his corner 3-pointer in an Instagram story.

If the 26-year-old can legitimize his outside shot and translate it to the NBA, that could be a serious weapon for OKC to utilize in its 5-out offense. He’ll provide drivers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams another kick-out option.

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