The final dynasty the NBA has seen is the Golden State Warriors. They gained 4 titles in seven years, together with back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
That dynasty was led by Stephen Curry on the ground, with different All-Stars akin to Draymond Inexperienced, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Andre Iguodala filling essential roles.
Steve Kerr’s system mixed the workforce’s capturing expertise with unpredictable ball and off-ball motion, reshaping the NBA.
Nonetheless, one former Warriors star, DeMarcus Cousins, believes the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have the prospect to outlast that dynasty.
The Thunder presently reached the NBA Finals and can face the Indiana Pacers to attempt to seize their first title within the Oklahoma Metropolis period.
“It’s completely the beginning of the dynasty. I believe it’s a dynasty that’ll be much more highly effective than what we noticed with the Warriors,” Cousins mentioned on Run It Again Podcast.
“And the rationale I say that, when the Warriors have been of their heyday they usually had every little thing rolling, they by no means had the property that this Thunder workforce has,” Cousins defined.
“This Thunder workforce most likely constructed to achieve success for the subsequent 10, 12 years, which is remarkable within the NBA,” he added.
Cousins factors to particular causes behind his daring prediction. He believes the primary issue isn’t solely the younger core the Thunder possesses, but additionally their unprecedented asset assortment.
Past three picks this yr, together with the fifteenth and twenty fourth total choices, OKC additionally holds six first-round picks by means of 2031. That represents helpful foreign money they will use for trades to amass depth or change injured gamers.
“They’ve all of the property developing. They run into an damage, they’ve the property to go get one other famous person to switch an damage,” Cousins mentioned.
“I believe that they’re the mannequin proper now. I believe a number of groups will begin making an attempt to repeat the mannequin, or this blueprint that they’ve put out gathering all these property, build up younger gamers, particularly for these smaller markets,” he defined.
Just like the Warriors and Steph Curry initially of their dynasty period, the Thunder even have an MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one other All-Star in Jalen Williams, and promising gamers in Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort.
The comparability to Golden State’s early dynasty years feels applicable given each groups’ mixture of elite expertise and strategic depth.
Nonetheless, Cousins argues Oklahoma Metropolis’s asset administration provides them benefits the Warriors by no means possessed throughout their peak years after they misplaced the prospect to get one other ring because of damage.
