The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of their worst stretch in a long while. After a torrid start, the Thunder are just 6-6 (!) in the last 12 games, including back-to-back losses in surprising fashion to the Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns. As such, it might be appealing to "worry" about the reigning NBA champions and, undeniably, they are not playing as well as they were a few weeks ago. Still, the Thunder have the NBA's best win-loss record (30-7) and the league's best statistical profile, headlined by a plus-13.3 net rating, by a wide margin.
Many NBA conversations in recent weeks have revolved around which teams could challenge the Thunder, both in the short-term and the long-term. One team that is in the center of the frame with that discourse is the San Antonio Spurs, led by arguably the NBA's most intriguing young player in Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs are armed with a trio of head-to-head wins over the Thunder this season and, with Wembanyama flanked by young, talented guards, the future is quite bright in San Antonio.
A look at the underlying data still paints the Thunder as the solidly superior team in an overall sense, but the combination of Wembanyama, young talent, and appealing future draft capital does make San Antonio an "easy" answer to the question of which team could best challenge Oklahoma City over the next five-plus seasons. Still, it is not only the Spurs that the Thunder must contend with, and here is a look at a few more teams that could threaten Oklahoma City's dominance, either quite soon or in the future.
Denver Nuggets
This is the most present-facing team on the list, but in short, Denver has Nikola Jokic. Yes, the former NBA MVP is sidelined with injury as of early January, but he projects to return in plenty of time to be a playoff demon. The Nuggets pushed the Thunder to the brink a season ago and, even when conceding that Oklahoma City's depth is far superior to Denver's depth, Jokic is the kind of matchup-breaking entity that can change a series on his own.
Furthermore, Denver is getting the best play of Jamal Murray's career, a prime Aaron Gordon, and emerging two-way contributions from Peyton Watson. In a few years if Jokic declines, Denver may not be a major concern, but they are right now.
Houston Rockets
San Antonio might be getting the most buzz in the state of Texas right now, but it is Houston that was seen as the better team entering the season. The Rockets are still quite good, including the No. 2 net rating (+8.5) in the NBA right now, and Houston has the benefit of future-facing assets to flank its young talent. Kevin Durant is the only piece of Houston's inner core that has age concerns, and the combination of Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Reed Sheppard is highly appealing for the future.
In addition to Houston's currently strong situation, the Rockets have positive future draft capital. Houston can also provide interesting play-style challenges for Oklahoma City (and any other team), including the reality that the Rockets dominate the offensive glass in a way that few teams have in the modern history of the league.
Boston Celtics
Remember the Celtics? Well, in what was supposed to be a "gap year" after the injury to Jayson Tatum, Boston has the best net rating (+8.0) in the Eastern Conference. It is fair to wonder whether the Celtics can maintain this pace without Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford, but Boston's schematic infrastructure is immaculate. Also, the Celtics could be better-suited for long-term viability after what was essentially a financial reset. They aren't as good in either present or future situation as Houston and San Antonio, but that is a well-run team with elite coaching and a system that works.
Los Angeles Lakers
Right now, the Lakers aren't anywhere near the level of Oklahoma City and Houston. The Lakers do have Luka Doncic, however, and that is a reason to be on this list. Moreover, Los Angeles always seems to find a way into the next big star and players on the margins tend to flock to one of the league's marquee franchises. They are down the list, but it's always worth keeping an eye on L.A. for big-picture purposes.
New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons
These two teams are grouped together as the two current betting favorites to win the East this season. New York is the more established team with stars in their primes in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to go along with the two-way forwards (OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges) that every team needs. It doesn't seem like the Knicks have the longest runway, but New York does have pull as a market, as evidenced by Giannis's dalience with the Knicks this summer.
Detroit is the more up-and-coming team. The Pistons also lead the East with a 27-9 record, and Cade Cunningham is a legitimate star. Detroit will need more talent (though Jalen Duren helps), but the Pistons do have youth and a team that is on a 60-win pace this season.