Former NBA point guard suggests the OKC Thunder could take the baton from the Lakers as the new team to beat in the West.
After a run to the Conference Finals last season, one would think that the Lakers would be an easy choice as one of the NBA’s top-level contenders for next season. but according to basketball legend Reggie Miller, the Purple and Gold are still a tier behind the favorites in Denver, Phoenix, and Sacramento.
In fact, according to Miller, the Oklahoma City Thunder (who failed to qualify for the play-in last season) will be in the top four, while the Lakers are predicted to be somewhere in the middle with the Clippers, Warriors, Pelicans, and Grizzlies.
One man’s opinion hardly makes a fact, but Miller’s tier list sparked some interesting conversations on which teams are poised to succeed this season. While a case can be made for 8 or 9 different teams to finish in first place, the talent pool in the conference could make it a tight race all the way through.
The OKC Thunder Are On The Rise
Perhaps the most surprising part of Reggie’s ranking is the placement of the Thunder. Last season, they finished 10th after an up-and-down campaign that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put the squad on his back. This time around, he’ll have much more to work with. Besides Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, SGA will get to play alongside Chet Holmgren, the 2nd overall pick from last year’s draft. Chet has been showing promising signs in Summer League and there is a real sense that he has star potential.
Even so, it usually takes time for a team as young as OKC to find its footing and it could take some time for things to come together. Should they really be considered a safer bet than the Lakers, who still have LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a strong supporting cast around them? Only time will tell which squad ends up in a better spot but the Thunder are one team that’s causing some major division right now.
The Lakers Still Believe They Can Win It All
While LA came up short in their pursuit of a title last season, Rob Pelinka doubled down on his top guys by gunning for role-players instead of having stars. The end result was several new additions, including Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes. We don’t yet know the full potential of this new-look Lakers group, but if they are anything like what we saw from February to April, then it could mean bad news for the rest of the West.
“We were able to retain everyone,” said Lakers GM Pelinka. “It was amazing to watch LeBron attack the off-season. He was the 3-4 in the morning working with Rui. It defines his leadership. We were able to add around the edges with Prince, Wood, Gabe. It solidifies our depth and guys are confident in what they want to do this year.” The Lakers clearly have high ambitions for the 2023-24 season and they look like a team poised to prove the doubters wrong and move past any team that stands in their way.
