The Oklahoma City Thunder went through a rite of passage last season. Following a massive leap to the top of the Western Conference standings, the No. 1 seed fell in devastating fashion to the Dallas Mavericks in a six-game playoff series. They suffered a fate that so many other young squads endured before them. Besides the lessons it taught the OKC players, that second-round elimination motivated the front office to hit the offseason hard.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti acquired center Isaiah Hartenstein and championship-winning guard Alex Caruso, the final pieces of what he and fans hope is a title team. OKC (66-14) has once again flashed its greatness, but the 2024-25 campaign features an aura that was not present in the previous one. This feels like a young squad that is ready to claim the West, a notion reinforced by its 14-game cushion in the standings.

MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads a balanced group that is seemingly wearing much sturdier armor heading into the 2025 postseason. ESPN reporter Courtney Cronin believes in the Thunder so much that she sees no other conference foe as having a legitimate shot at hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

“One serious contender in the West right now, and that's the Oklahoma City Thunder because of SGA,” she opined on Friday's edition of “First Take.” “I believe in this version of Oklahoma City, the way that they're built– Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, SGA, the whole core around them– they're finally ready for their moment. They weren't last year.”

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Will the Thunder meet their match in a veteran California squad?

Those who have watched the franchise closely for the last six months might find it extremely difficult to disagree with Cronin. The Thunder dominate in their building and on the road, defend at an elite level and shoot the ball efficiently from 3-point range. They ate their humble pie and now should have a more tolerable stomach for the hardship that lies ahead. However, there are at least two other teams that could be equipped for it as well.

Since the Los Angeles Lakers (49-31) and Golden Warriors (47-33) acquired Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler, respectively, they have each carried themselves like upper-echelon squads. Heck, if Doncic did not receive a second technical foul, which the league has since rescinded, LA might have beaten OKC in back-to-back games in the Paycom Center. LeBron James and Stephen Curry are certified legends and Doncic and Butler have each competed in the Finals. The Lakers and Warriors earned the right to be considered in title conversations.

But one should definitely understand why Courtney Cronin thinks the Thunder are the new standard of the West. They will try to validate everything they achieved in the regular season, starting next weekend.