The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are the two headline teams in NBA.com’s latest Western Conference offseason power rankings.
NBA.com’s John Schuhmann ranked all 15 teams in the West following a summer of roster movement, with the Spurs and Thunder framed as the leading powers entering the 2026-27 season.
The Thunder remain one of the league’s clearest measuring sticks. NBA.com noted that Oklahoma City have outscored opponents by 11.2 points per game over the last two seasons when the playoffs are included, describing that stretch as two of the best seasons in NBA history.
San Antonio, however, are presented as the team that matched them most directly. The Spurs won eight of 12 head-to-head meetings with Oklahoma City last season, including Game 7 of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City.
The youth of both cores is a major part of the story. NBA.com highlighted the Spurs’ group of Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama, while Oklahoma City still have star power around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the potential for further growth from their young players.
For UK NBA fans, the rankings offer a useful early snapshot before training camps and preseason: the West may have changed around the edges, but the conference conversation still appears to start with San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
Source: NBA.com.