5 Western Conference teams the Sacramento Kings need to worry most about next season

Oklahoma City Thunder

This one is super obvious, hence their presence on the thumbnail of this post. Not only were the Oklahoma City Thunder the number one team in the West last year, but they also addressed their two biggest weaknesses this offseason (without having to sacrifice anyone from their young core).

The main reasons the Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks last postseason are their lack of physicality (the Thunder were 28th and 29th in offensive and defensive rebounding rate last year, respectively) and role players who they can trust to defend and space the floor.

To fill these holes, the Thunder signed Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Last year, Hartenstein was in the 98th percentile in offensive rebounding and the 87th percentile in defensive rebounding (per Dunks & Threes). And they traded Josh Giddey (arguably their weakest link) for Alex Caruso (without giving up any draft picks). Caruso is one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball (99th percentile Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus) and a reliable 3-point shooter (41% last season).

This is all without mentioning the fact that their holy trinity of stars (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams) now has some playoff experience under their belt. All things considered, the Thunder are the frontrunners in the West, and the Kings will need to get past them if they hope to win the conference.