NBA Power Rankings Week 3: A new number one has arrived
By Jack Simone
Week 3 NBA power rankings: 26. Oklahoma City Thunder
2-6. Previous: 28th. Oklahoma City Thunder. 26. team. 149.
Last week: (1-2) – @ LAC (L), @ LAL (W)
Offensive rating: 98.0 (29th in NBA)
Defensive rating: 108.9 (22nd in NBA)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is single-handedly carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder up these power rankings. He has been absolutely incredible for the past few games.
Not only did he put up a solid performance against the Clippers, but he led the Thunder to a huge upset win over the Lakers. He’ll be the face of that franchise for years to come.
The Thunder have other promising young players, too, such as Josh Giddey and Lu Dort. However, their clear plan is to tank for a few years and acquire draft picks.
That being said, they have been more competitive than some may have thought so far this year. Still, though, they aren’t good enough to be any higher on this list.
Season outlook: Until a legitimate second star emerges next to Gilgeous-Alexander, this team is going to find themselves towards the top of the lottery. They have what seems like a million picks, so their plan of “tanking to the top” is as clear as day. They’ll be a bottom-three team in the West.