The Oklahoma City Thunder are primed to be one of the best teams in the NBA this upcoming season – this should not come as a surprise to most. A year ago, Oklahoma City ripped off 57 wins en route to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the youngest team to ever accomplish such a feat.

After a historic 2023-24 campaign, the Thunder have made two massive additions to their squad swapping out Josh Giddey in favor of Alex Caruso in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. Giddey gains the ability to play on the ball and the Thunder earn a more seamless fit for their style of play.

Oklahoma City wasn’t done there, a jaw-dropping free agent signing of Isaiah Hartenstein fixed their frontcourt issues by handing the Thunder the best backup big man in the league.

With the addition of Caruso and Hartenstein, Oklahoma City is poised to be one of the league’s top defenses for the second season in a row after having a top-five offensive and defensive unit a year ago.

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, FanDuel has released Award odds placing Chet Holmgren third in the Defensive Player of the Year Award odds. The only players projected higher than Holmgren for the award are Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama and Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert.

A year ago, Holmgren helped anchor the Thunder defense with elite-level rim protection and an ability to switch out on the perimeter.

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