The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder have turned many into believers to become the NBA's first back-to-back champs since the Golden State Warriors. Amid a trend that seemingly repeats itself at least once every decade, Oklahoma City earned the benefit of the doubt in a new NBA preseason survery conducted annually by ESPN. While the competition that awaits the champion Thunder is stiff, OKC is the overwhelming favorite to repeat.
In the NBA survey, only the Denver Nuggets received votes over the champion Thunder, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
“It's no surprise that the Thunder, coming off winning the NBA title and having a roster with only two players over 27 years old, is the heavy favorite to win the title,” Bontemps wrote. “But while Denver received a couple votes, due to the combination of Nikola Jokic and that souped-up bench unit, the fact that there wasn't a single vote for an East team to win the title accurately reflects the gulf between the two conferences.”
While some perceive Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets as a close second, the Denver Nuggets, for many, remain the top contenders to dethrone the Thunder. Led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets upgraded starting forward Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson. Then, added frontcourt depth in a trade for Jonas Valanciunas. Denver also signed guards Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., addressing both ends of the floor via free agency.
Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander snubbed for best player
While the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was snubbed for best player, he received plenty of votes to repeat as MVP in ESPN's recent NBA survery.
“While there has been a nip-and-tuck battle for MVP between Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander over the past few seasons — and our survey projects another — there was little debate about who the single best NBA player is at the moment,” Bontemps wrote. “That would be Jokic, as the Thunder star and reigning MVP didn’t receive any votes, and only a stray one for Doncic separated Jokic from becoming the first unanimous selection for this honor across the seven years the survey has been conducted.
While Gilgeous-Alexander is on the cusp of entering his prime, Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic is still considered the heavy favorite as the NBA's best player, heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
