The Thunder are young and precocious enough to need and value the No. 1 seed, and the still-untapped upside of so many of their players makes this quite reachable. Just when we were getting to enjoy the Timberwolves’ two-big throwback approach, they changed it up. But coach Chris Finch and team president Tim Connelly know what they’re doing.

After producing three of the league’s last five champions, the NBA’s Western Conference comes into this season as the superior conference. Boasting five 50-win teams this past season, the West has the firepower and depth to be an absolute bloodbath.

Could the Rockets qualify for the 2025 Western Conference playoffs without even having to go through the play-in tournament? Kelly Iko thinks so.

In a society seemingly obsessed with “change,” standing pat occasionally can be a very cool hand. Nothing was broken in Boston, so there was no need to fix anything. It’s a great, two-way roster with plenty of versatility and depth and stars who are getting prime-ier.