Thunder NBA Cup: Power ranking each West Group B team
The groups for the second installment of the NBA Cup have been revealed, and the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves in West Group B. The group contains several other competitive conference foes, including the San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz.
While it's certainly not an easy group, the Thunder seem to have had a favorable draw, avoiding many other contenders.
With that in mind, here are the power rankings for each team currently slated to compete in Western Conference Group B.
Ranking Thunder among the rest of NBA Cup's West Group B
5. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are in the middle of a rebuild, but they've certainly started in the right spot. The team is headlined by once-in-a-lifetime talent Victor Wembanyama, and he has lived up to every bit of hype since entering the league.
His shot-blocking is already second-to-none, and with improved offensive polish he will quickly establish himself as one of the most impactful two-way players, not just in the league, but of all time. That being said, the roster surrounding him is young, inexperienced, and under-developed.
Devin Vassell is a great second option, and he provides the Spurs with fantastic shot-creating on the wing and elite scoring, averaging just under 20 points per game in 2023-24. Other exciting additions to the Spurs include the number four overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Stephon Castle and, most notably, veteran point guard Chris Paul.
Paul and San Antonio are a match made in heaven.
The basketball intelligence and IQ shared in the locker room between CP3 and Gregg Popovich is unmatched, and it will be extremely crucial in the development of the young Spurs to absorb and listen to as much as they can from the veteran minds.
This team is absolutely capable of pulling off upset wins and getting hot, and the Thunder experienced that first-hand last season -- March 1, Wembanyama led the Spurs to a 132-118 victory with 28 points and 5 blocks.
Plus, there's no doubt Victor Wembanyama has OKC circled on his calendar for every matchup due to the rising tension and rivalry brewing between him and Chet Holmgren. In their short NBA careers so far, Wembanyama has won the individual battles, but Holmgren boasts a 2-1 record against him.
The Spurs are still the weakest team in this group, and it would be surprising to see them advance to the knockouts. They just don't have the depth or talent to compete with the other teams in this group, and they would likely need to win at least three of their games.
Wembanyama is going to be scary this season, but the talent around him doesn't quite match the quality yet.