(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Heading into the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were expected to be a team on the rise in the Western Conference, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being one of the promising young stars in this league and Chet Holmgren finally able to get his NBA career underway with the franchise after missing his first year due to injury.
Although the Thunder were thought to be a team on the rise in the West, no one expected them to skyrocket up the standings and eventually clinch the top seed in the conference, especially with how competitive the West was this season.
Despite having their fair share of doubters along the way, Oklahoma City was able to pave their way to an impressive record of 57-25, which was tied for the best in the West, along with the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Unfortunately, the Thunder were unable to rise to the occasion in the NBA playoffs, as the team ultimately was knocked out of the postseason by Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
With the Thunder heading into the NBA offseason, general manager Sam Presti spoke to the media about what surprised him the most during this playoff run, via Thunder Film Room.
“The least surprising thing to me about the postseason was that we weren’t a good rebounding team,” Presti said. “It was also not surprising to me that we were a very, very good defensive team… What was surprising to me… was that we dropped off significantly offensively.”
Sam Presti: “The least surprising thing to me about the postseason was that we weren’t a good rebounding team. It was also not surprising to me that we were a very, very good defensive team… What was surprising to me… was that we dropped off significantly offensively.” pic.twitter.com/LxpIQiDLTb
— Thunder Film Room (@ThunderFilmRoom) May 28, 2024
Although the Thunder seemed to have all the tools to contend with any team in the West, the Mavericks had their number in the second round, winning the series in six games.
As long as Presti can keep this team together while adding pieces this summer, Oklahoma City will almost certainly be a force to be reckoned with next season and beyond.
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