Former NBA Champion gives Thunder stern yet stirring reality check

Following up their historic, top-seeded season that saw them win their first playoff series in nearly a decade, the OKC Thunder head into 2024-25 with mighty high expectations.

With MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and budding studs Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren leading the charge, along with a slew of tremendous role players scattered across a rotation that easily goes 10 men deep, Oklahoma City is being looked upon as a legitimate threat to win this year's NBA Finals.

Even odds-makers have them as the second-best bet to take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy this season, behind only the reigning champion, Boston Celtics.

Though this club may currently boast the youngest roster in the league through the first week of training camp, it's evident that they are in a win-now mode what with their offseason additions of veteran contributors, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein.

And while some may believe that taking home a title come year's end isn't the only way for the Thunder to have a successful campaign, as they seem to have plenty more years to vie for ultimate glory, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins is under the impression that it's put up or shut up time for the franchise.

Kendrick Perkins believes Thunder have no excuse to not win NBA title

During a recent episode of NBA Today, the former 14-year big man and NBA Champion turned pundit discussed the goals for the Thunder during the upcoming season, and stressed that, due to their incredibly well-rounded roster makeup and two-way abilities, there seems to be no overt excuse for them not to at least make it to the title round by year's end.

"The expectation is to get it done! At least make it to the NBA Finals. You're the only team in the Western Conference, in my opinion, that checks all boxes. So what comes with that?... This is your year to get to the NBA Finals. I don't want to hear nothing else," Perkins said.

Perkins' comments may have been blunt, but they do have some merit to them.

Frankly, the only universally accepted reasoning for why people were so accepting of Oklahoma City's second-round ouster against the Dallas Mavericks last season was due to two things: Underwhelming size and lacking playoff experience.

This summer, GM Sam Presti seemingly addressed both of these areas of weakness directly what with the additions of Caruso (won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2020) and Hartenstein (measures in at 7-feet, 249 pounds) so, at least on the surface, Perkins' suggestion that the Thunder are out of excuses appears to be validated.

So while the championship window for this team is projected to be open for many years to come, nabbing that first title is undoubtedly the most important task at the moment. To Perkins, there's no reason why it can't come as soon as this season.