NBA coaches, execs, and scouts have high expectations for SGA and Thunder

With all 30 NBA teams' schedules being released and the season approaching in a few months, experts and professionals gathered together to predict who would win certain awards, championships and overall improvement.

A group of 18 NBA coaches, executives and scouts compiled all of their votes and came up with their rankings , and the Oklahoma City Thunder placed in quite a few categories.

One of the questions on the list was 'who will be the NBA's best player in five years?' and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander placed second in the voting with two votes, only behind San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama. Averaging 30 points, six assists and six rebounds a game, many NBA officials felt SGA would keep the hot streak going.

As for who they thought would be the 2024-25 NBA MVP, Shai placed first in this voting with seven total votes. For the past two seasons, Shai has placed top-five in the MVP voting, as well as made All NBA First-Team in back-to-back seasons. It is only a matter of time until Gilgeous-Alexander secures the award.

When it came to overall team predictions, the NBA officials believed the OKC Thunder would win the Western Conference, securing 14 total votes (the most out of any team from any conference). Last season, the Thunder were the youngest team in NBA history to secure a one seed, and as the Thunder retained much of their roster from last season, they are poised to do it again.

When asked who the NBA felt would win the 2024-25 NBA title, OKC placed second behind the reigning champion Boston Celtics. With the additions of Caruso and Hartenstein, the Thunder should have a great chance of making it to the finals.

Finally, the NBA officials were asked who they felt will be the best player from the 2024-25 rookie class in five years, and tied for third place for the Thunder's 12th overall pick, Nikola Topic. The Thunder have a long history of developing their young players, so the future for Topic is looking bright.

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