OKC Thunder: Vegas win total odds above desired bottom 3 finish

Vegas weighs in on title chances and win totals with the OKC Thunder not in the coveted bottom three position

Training camp continues for the OKC Thunder with preseason looming and the regular season just around the corner. Like last season the NBA has made copious changes to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic but for the Thunder, they also are dealing with massive shifts to their roster and strategic direction for the next few seasons.

Over two-thirds of the roster has turned over along with a head coach shift. That means the new man at the helm, Mark Daigneault has many decisions to make regarding the rotation while he integrates his systems and strategy.

To that end, this season the Thunder will be focused on developing their youth. And, while the squad will look to be competitive, unlike prior seasons the true goal isn’t focused on winning. Rather, this season, and the next few, will prioritize development and finding the balance between being competitive while amassing enough losses to put the Thunder in the running to nab the top draft pick.

To assist in this objective Sam Presti is actively accumulating as many picks as possible with the view of rebuilding the roster through quality assets obtained in the draft. Although there were quality prospects in the recent draft class these next two years, in particular, are considered to contain generational talents.

To increase the odds of OKC nabbing that highly coveted 2021 top draft pick finishing as close to the bottom of the ladder is the Thunder priority. At a minimum, the Thunder will endeavor to be among the bottom three clubs in the association. That’s because the trio of teams who finish with the fewest win totals have the best odds of the lottery ball bouncing in their favor.

OKC Thunder projected win totals and title odds

As is typical every season Vegas oddsmakers gather to make predictions regarding win totals and which teams have the best shot of becoming champions. These two odds predictions offer insight into where the experts believe each team will place.

While Sam Presti has taken an expedited approach of trading the top talents Vegas isn’t necessarily committed to the belief they’ll have enough losses to get one of those bottom three slots.

Action Network compiled the consensus of six different Vegas sportsbooks and the odds they project for each team to win the title. The sites include Draft Kings Sportsbook, BET MGM, PointsBet, SugarHouse, Bet 365, and Unibet. Five teams were given 200 to 1 odds of winning the title including the OKC Thunder, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Another five teams registered a lower consensus including the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets at 250 to 1, the Detroit Pistons at 400 to 1 with the New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers projected in last at 500 to 1.

Not surprisingly, the Lakers (2.75 to 1) sit atop the odds ladder with the Milwaukee Bucks (5.5 to 1), Clippers (5.75 to 1), Nets (6 to 1), and Celtics (14 to 1) rounding out the top five.

In terms of win totals, the Action Network places the OKC Thunder one spot outside the highly coveted bottom three.

• Thunder  – 24.5
• Pistons – 24
• Knicks – 22.5
• Cavaliers – 22

Bovado has the Thunder winning one less game (23.5) and places them in that highly desired bottom three although they get there by virtue of tying the Pistons. The Knicks (22.5) and Cavaliers (21.5) are still projected to get the bottom two spots on the ladder.

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Whether you are a betting person or not the logic of OKC finishing ahead of the Cavs, Knicks, and Pistons can be debated. That’s primarily based on the fact the Thunder play in the West and therefore will face more teams from their own conference which offers them more opportunity to lose than the East. After all the Pistons and Cavaliers are in the same division so they’ll play each other four times.

If OKC retains Al Horford, George Hill, and Trevor Ariza with the burgeoning talents of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley and Luguentz Dort this group may have too much talent. Yet, there is a good chance Sam Presti is still looking for trade partners for Hill and Ariza specifically, and if not prior to season start then he’ll up that effort closer to the trade deadline.

Even if the Thunder doesn’t finish in the bottom three it’s not a guarantee they won’t get the top pick – simply that their odds of getting it improves. It’s foreign territory for Thunder Nation but this season we’ll be hoping to witness some fun games but be cheering for the Thunder to lose.