The OKC Thunder may be 12 wins ahead of the second-seeded Rockets and heading toward their second-straight top-seeded finish in the Western Conference standings, but this does not guarantee sunshine and rainbows are all that's in store for the ball club over these final few weeks of play.
Though they may already have their playoff ticket punched, with roughly three weeks remaining on the regular season schedule, there are still plenty of opportunities for things both internally and league-wide to go awry that could have a direct impact on the team, with a few, in particular, that could become worst-case-scenario nightmare fuel for the franchise.
Jalen Williams' hip injury becomes more long-term than initially believed
After sustaining a hip injury back on March 10, the initial belief was that Jalen Williams may just be sidelined for the short road trip Oklahoma City was gearing up for, spanning from March 12 through the 16.
Now, over a week later, the All-Star has missed four-straight games and, as noted by head coach Mark Daigneault, has no set timetable for a return.
With just over a month to go between now and the start of the NBA Playoffs, many are assuming that J-Dub will have ample time to heal up and get back to full strength just in time for the Thunder's hopeful championship push.
But what if he can't return to 100 percent this year?
Hip injuries are widely regarded as rather tricky and difficult to make a seamless recovery from, as long-standing pain and overall discomfort are high possibilities if not properly treated.
Already, we've seen how appalling this Thunder offense can become without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 21.3 PPG co-star in the mix. Adding him back to the rotation with a nagging hip injury could prove to be just as bad, if not worse.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander loses to Nikola Jokic in MVP race... again
Though many, such as ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, believe Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most worthy candidate to win this year's MVP award, in recent weeks, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has turned heads with his elite, all-around level of play and, as a result, is now seen as the favorite to take home the illustrious hardware.
As things currently stand, the Thunder guard finds himself leading the league in some of the most crucial areas of play, including points per game (33.0), net rating (16.6), and plus-minus (+791).
On top of this, he's undeniably the best player on the best team in the entire league and is 13 wins ahead of Jokic's Nuggets.
Yet, despite all this, the big man seemingly has many pollsters convinced he should become just the sixth player in NBA history to be crowned MVP four or more times.
Might OKC fans be in line for some deja vu?
Sixers lose enough games to protect first-round draft rights
One of the Thunder's most valuable offseason assets may soon be taken off the table.
Acquired in the Al Horford salary dump deal back in 2020, Oklahoma City holds the rights to the Philadelphia 76ers' 2025 first-round draft pick, though only if it falls outside of the top-six in the pecking order.
Heading into the year, the selection ending up in the hands of Sam Presti and company seemed like a virtual lock. The Sixers already rostered two All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and spent big money on signing All-NBA wing Paul George in free agency.
However, as the campaign has churned along, injuries to all three of these players have piled up, with both Embiid and George already being ruled out for the remainder of the season as a result.
Now, amid such hardships, Philadelphia boasts the sixth-worst record in the entire league at 23-66, meaning that the Thunder still have a 54.2 percent chance of being gifted their draft rights.
However, considering they've won just once over their last six games and still have 13 more to go, their plummeting momentum suggests that dipping into the bottom five in the league standings is a high possibility.
Should this happen, the odds of the Sixers holding onto their first-rounder raises to 63.9 percent, meaning Oklahoma City misses out on the high-end draft rights for such a stacked incoming class.