Oklahoma City Thunder 2022-23 Season Preview Odds and Best Bet (Can Thunder Compete Without Chet Holmgren?)

The up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder may have seen their season end before it even started, as No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury during a pro-am game, effectively ending his 2022-23 season. 

Maybe, Holmgren’s injury is a blessing in disguise, as it could lead to OKC getting another top draft pick while he puts on more weight to compete at the NBA level, but Thunder fans have to be getting tired of the same old story every season. 

One of these days, we will get to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort play in meaningful games again, but for now we just have to hang our hat on the team that made the playoffs in the bubble and nearly took down the Houston Rockets in the first round.

Things have certainly changed for both of those franchises since then, as they are both expected to be at the bottom of the NBA again in the 2022-23 campaign. 

Still, the Thunder have a lot of fun young players, including SGA, Dort, Josh Giddey, rookies Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Ousmane Dieng, among others. 

The question is whether or not the Thunder actually try to win this season, or if they are content with finishing near the bottom of the Western Conference once again.

Oklahoma City Thunder Offseason Moves and Additions

Thunder Roster Additions:

• Ousmane Dieng (Draft)
• Chet Holmgren (Draft)
• Jaylin Williams (Draft)
• Jalen Williams (Draft)

OKC also extended Dort, Mike Muscala and Kenrich Williams this offseason. 

Thunder Roster Losses:

• Isaiah Roby (Free Agency)

Oklahoma City Thunder Odds to Win NBA Championship, Make Playoffs and Win Total

• Odds to Win NBA Finals: +50000
• Odds to Win Western Conference: +24000
• Make Playoffs: +2500
• Win Total: 23.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Oklahoma City Thunder Best Bet for 2022-23 NBA Season

The Thunder may try to tank in the 2022-23 season, but there a few teams that may have already beaten them to the punch, including the San Antonio Spurs (traded away Dejounte Murray), Houston Rockets (traded away Christian Wood) and Utah Jazz (traded away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert). 

If that’s going to be the case, why don’t the Thunder attempt to compete, as they already have two rising young stars in Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander?

Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my end, but the play-in tournament in the Western Conference figures to have a few teams in the mix, such as the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and potentially the Los Angeles Lakers in the No. 9 and No. 10 spots. 

Right now at FanDuel, the Thunder are +2200 (!!) to nab the No. 10 spot in the West. If they don’t go through their typical tanking phase in March and April, OKC could at least compete for that spot if the rest of the roster remains healthy. 

It’s a lofty, lofty goal, but at some point this club has to prove to SGA and others that it is actually eventually going to try and win. I wouldn’t bet a ton on it, but OKC could be worth the smallest of sprinkles at +2200 to climb out of the bottom five teams in the West this season. 

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.