Every Thunder mentioned on ESPN's awards predictions (and why they can win)

After wrapping up last season with the best record in the Western Conference standings and advancing to their first semifinal round since 2016, impressively enough, this summer the OKC Thunder made themselves an ever more menacing squad.

With the key additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso joining forces with Oklahoma City's star-studded core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, the team has not only shored up several weaknesses that curbed their upside in 2023-24 but have bettered their odds of claiming the franchise's first-ever Larry O'Brien Trophy heading into this year's campaign.

Of course, while winning the NBA Finals may be the biggest goal of this coming season, it isn't the only achievement the members of this club will find themselves in the running for, as ESPN recently penned a piece where they made predictions for "every major award" in 2024-25, and found mentioned throughout the article were several Thunder players.

While not all were viewed as favorites to win the titles their names were attached to, each find themselves with a strong case of doing so.

Every Thunder member mentioned in ESPN's awards predictions piece

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: MVP

Rank: No. 3

Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finds himself once again included in the illustrious Most Valuable Player conversation heading into his seventh season in the association.

Over the last two years, the point guard has improved his overall status from being viewed as a budding stud to a flat-out superstar, as he's posted stupendous averages of 30.7 points, 5.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor and 35.0 percent shooting from deep.

In each of these campaigns, SGA finished within the top five in the MVP race, with last season seeing him land second behind Nuggets centerpiece Nikola Jokic, a turnout that many have declared to be an egregious snub.

On top of the fact that this Thunder team is looking to retain their status as the number one seed out West, Gilgeous-Alexander is heading into a contract season which, regularly, finds players performing at their absolute best as they look to cash in during the subsequent summer months.

With these incentives, along with the bitter taste that likely lingers for Shai after his runner-up finish for the award last year, don't be surprised to see him finally claim the Michael Jordan Trophy for himself come the conclusion of 2024-25.