Western Conference Power Rankings after week 1 of free agency
By Austin McGee
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Draft Picks: Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell
Offseason Acquisitions: Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein
Departures: Josh Giddey, Lindy Waters III
A team that got knocked out in the Western Conference Semifinals at number one? Well, that's exactly what's happening here. The second-youngest team in the association a season ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder led the West in wins.
Rather than standing pat, the Thunder made several incredible moves to improve a stout roster from a year ago. The Thunder added Isaiah Hartenstein to bolster the frontcourt. Then, instead of running it back with Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City exchanged the pass-first guard for a defensive dynamo in Alex Caruso.
Oklahoma City has both youth and talent on its side. Led by future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder also possess several 3-and-D wings, a borderline All-Star secondary creator, and an ascending young big in Chet Holmgren.
Following a brief hiatus from the playoffs, the Thunder are already one of the league's better teams—poised to contend for years to come. The rest of the league should be worried, especially because Oklahoma City's amount of future draft picks are otherwordly.
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