Following their defeat by the NBA champions in the Western Conference semi-finals, the OKC Thunder may have their sights set on competing in the NBA Finals 2025. The Thunder front office has made substantial roster changes to enhance their chances of winning the NBA championship next season. The draft pick consists of Nikola Topic, a 6’7″ guard picked 12th overall in the first round, and 22-year-old forward Dillon Jones.

And that’s not all! Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams’ drive-and-kick offense is poised to trouble the opposing team’s defense once more in the upcoming season. Nonetheless, as the preseason kickoff approaches in a few weeks, The Thunder front office may wish to assess the compatibility of the new formation and its strengths.

The OKC Thunder see preseason as their best chance to start another championship journey. Taking that into account, let’s find out who OKC will test their skills against this preseason, as well as their head-to-head history.

2024-25 NBA Preseason schedule: OKC Thunder

The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the OKC Thunder, will be facing three teams from their conference and one team from the Western Conference during the preseason. The Thunder squad will be playing a total of four games before the regular season kickoff. Also, the home team will host the three matches at their home arena, Paycom Center. Meanwhile, the rest of the two games will be played on high grounds in Denver and Spurs’ home arena, respectively. Here’s how the whole preseason schedule will look for the OKC Thunder in the table setup.

It would not be easy for the Thunder team to tackle the preseason rival teams, as OKC does not have a perfect record against all of them in the past. However, the present lineup of the squad might crush the hopes of the ones lining up their hopes for a victory over OKC in preseason.

Preseason matchups and expected results

The first preseason game will be between the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, and the latter might pose a strategic risk to OKC this time. The Thunder and the Spurs will face off in the first preseason game, with San Antonio potentially presenting an offensive challenge for Oklahoma City. The Spurs have notable players such as Victor Wembanyama at center and experienced point guard Chris Paul. They both had impressive seasons, with one averaging 21.4 points and the other 6.8 assists. Additionally, Coach Gregg Popovich has acquired another promising player from UConn, the 4th overall pick in the first round, Stephon Castle. With Harrison Barnes and other players in key roles, OKC and the Spurs will face off evenly.

The eleventh seed in the Western Conference Houston Rockets, have a young squad waiting for their growth as a player in the league. The team has Ime Udoka as the coach who aspires to a greater vision than just breaking even. Last season, the Rockets secured 41 wins and 41 losses. Meanwhile, the OKC Thunder are in their own league, as they won 57 wins last season. So, at this point, the power-packed offense might subdue the Rockets’ hope for an upset.

The Denver Nuggets are the elite offense matchup against the OKC Thunder. It is expected to be a tense matchup as Dario Saric has returned as a power forward for the Nuggets, while the Joker squad has got Russell Westbrook as their new addition as point guard. The 35-year-old is not as explosive as he used to be. However, his experience as a veteran will bring stability to the Nuggets squad. So, it might act as the perfect spear to break OKC’s fast-forward offense and bring down their pace.

At the end of their Preseason journey, the OKC Thunder squad will wish to end their pre-tournament on a good note. The Atlanta Hawks, who have acquired the first pick from the 2024 NBA draft class, will be the next opponent facing the Thunder in their home court. At the same time, the Hawks front office traded away their resources this summer in order to bring in new players such as Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, Nikola Djurisic, Dyson Daniels, and David Roddy. The Heat-Hawks game is anticipated to be intense, given the team’s depth and players like Larry, who has a 57.3% field goal percentage.

Still, all the facts mentioned represent the current positions of the teams. Nonetheless, when examining the statistical direct comparison, the outcomes may not diverge from the current analysis.

OKC Thunder’s head-to-head record against 2024 preseason rivals

Coming to the head-on-head records, here’s how the OKC Thunder have performed against their 2024 preseason rivals in the past during regular season games on an All-Time record basis.

When looking at everything, which teams do you believe have the potential to defy previous expectations and shock the OKC Thunder in the upcoming season? Share your thoughts in the comments section!