With the season finally over, the focus now shifts for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offseason after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. OKC has been set with the fifth-best odds for the 2024-25 season in terms of winning the league title and bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Still, the Thunder have enjoyed one of the best seasons that the franchise has seen in years. OKC has won 57 games and went on to secure the no. 1 seed in the tight Western Conference. This goes without saying that head coach Mark Daigneault even won the Coach of the Year Award, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in the MVP voting.

Being in the top five for the title odds says a lot about OKC’s potential. They have a squad full of potential and are still young in the game. A promising cap space, a treasure trove of draft picks, and four open spots can be the big difference that can make the Thunder a true contender to look out for in the coming 2024-25 season.

A Season of Experimentation Has Ended

OKC has been one of the hyped teams that was not even expected to make the playoffs. Initially, OKC was expected to tank for yet another top draft pick, only to shock fans and critics alike by securing the first seed by the end of the 2023-24 season, edging the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves for the top seed.

Of course, we have seen issues from the Thunder, such as rebounding, and the dry spell in shooting that has cost them the Playoffs in the semis. Still, this is the first year that the trio of SGA, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams have all played together. Now that they know more of one another, it cannot be denied that the expectations are starting to rise up for the Thunder as they now shift their focus into winning a title.

It is the first time that OKC has secured the first seed since the 2012-13 season, and the first time that they have eclipsed 50+ wins since the 2015-16 season. Based on the FanDuel odds to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the 2024-25 season, the Thunder are slated at +1000 odds, tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the top five odds to win.

Setting Expectations for OKC

There are a lot of questions ahead for the Thunder’s offseason. First of all, they are armed with the 12th pick in a rich and promising draft class, which could be pivotal in their chances of winning. There’s also the different unknowns for the free agency market, which should be tempting for OKC to come up with a trade that could bring them a high-value player to boost their chances.

It is also easy to overlook the development of both Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, who have been special for the Thunder’s 2023-24 season. Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks on 53% shooting and 37% from deep. Williams, on the other hand, has been phenomenal with season averages of 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals on 54% shooting and 42.7% from three.

All signs are pointing towards the Thunder making a deep playoff run once more. The 2023-24 season is the worst version you’ll see from these squad, and fans can expect them to live up to the hype of the odds set before them. For more context, the Thunder only trail the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Dallas Mavericks on that list.