The Thunder are in contention for both the good and the bad in terms of the league.
OKC is on the brink of competing for a spot in the Western Conference play-in game at 14-19. But with that record also comes with OKC being in contention for a high priority lottery selection come the 2023 draft.
In total only eight teams have the same or lower number of wins than OKC. In total only four teams in the league have less than 13 wins. Meaning OKC is still in play for a top five pick, but could also fall outside of the top 10 completely.
Oklahoma City has shown that they can compete with some of the title contenders this season battling in close games, and even coming out on top occasionally.
However, OKC has also struggled to finish games at times and lose winnable games because of that.
It’s not impossible for OKC to be in play for one of the top prospects in the 2023 Draft pool, assuming no trades are made for them to have better chances.
However, overall statistically it’s not probable. OKC ranks top-10 in defense, which is likely to keep them above the threshold of being a bottom five team.
The Thunder do rank 24th in offensive rating, which causes struggles at times. Despite the lack of efficiency OKC is top-10 in scoring with 115.4 points per game.
Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC has the true advantage head-to- head against most lottery hopeful teams, most of which are lacking a true star.
It’s unlikely OKC falls to compete with San Antonio, Houston or Orlando for a true shot at Victor Wembyana, but it’s not impossible.
The second half of the season and the 2023 section will be crucial for where OKC finishes in the standing with the Western Conference loaded with teams in contention from top to bottom.
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