It is difficult to defend the title! A list of five Western teams will sniper Thunder next season, the Rockets are on the list and the Lakers are on the list

The rise of the Thunder last season was amazing. Alexander performed at the MVP level. Homgren showed his top defensive potential in the rookie year, supplemented by Jaylen Williams and other high-quality role players. They advanced to the playoffs as the number one in the West. They also passed five levels and six players in the playoffs, and finally won the championship. The team thought of outstanding performance. The team did not strengthen the lineup during the offseason, but only renewed the contract with three cores. It can be seen that they believe that they will retain the core team. You can continue to strive for the championship, but there is no real "soft persimmon" in the West, not to mention that each team strengthens the lineup in the offseason. From the current perspective, the following five teams have unique weapons to cause huge trouble for the Thunder in the series:

1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Inside strangling and suffocating defense

Inside double towers (Gobel + Downs/Reed): Gobert's DPOY-level franchise protection and rebounding dominance (second in the league of 12.9 rebounds per game) is a nightmare for the Thunder's inside line. Towns or Reed can provide space to restrain and autonomous offense, forming a huge physique and high suppression. Gobert's presence at the basket will greatly limit Alexander and Jaylen Williams' breakthrough efficiency.

Top perimeter defensive resources: McDaniels is one of the top forward locks in the league. Edwards has an explosive physical talent and a strong defensive willingness. Conley is experienced and steady. They have the ability to consume Alexander in turn. The team's overall defensive efficiency has long been ranked first in the league. Discipline, rotation and confrontation intensity are all top.

2. Dallas Mavericks: The offensive storm of the Eastern European combination and the upgrade of the inside line

Doncic + Irving's super backcourt: Doncic is the league's top ball-holding core and offensive creator, and Irving is the "killer" and unsolved singles player at critical moments. Both of them have the ability to ignore the environment and cooperate increasingly tacitly.

Pick-and-roll offensive master: Doncic is a master of pick-and-roll offense in the league. New players Gafferd and Lively provide high-quality cover and efficient cake-eating ability. The Thunder's pick-and-roll strategy will face severe challenges. Doncic's rhythm changes and passes, and Irving's indiscriminate singles are all extremely lethal.

Inside reinforcement: The joining of Gafferd and Lively greatly improves the Mavericks' basket protection, rebounding and all-receive threats, solving the shortcomings at the beginning of the season.

3. Denver Nuggets: The foundation of the defending champion is unsolvable with the teacher

Nikola Jokic: The most dominant player in the league today, the MVP level, his unsolvable low-post offense, historical-level support ability and precise projection are a nightmare for any defense, and Homgren is difficult to compete with in terms of strength and experience.

Champion Team and Experience: The core lineup has a tacit understanding, has experienced the tempering of the highest-level events, and has strong ability to handle key balls and control the game.

3. Lakers: After reinforcing the loopholes, the two giants are even stronger.

The first round was terminated last season. In addition to the inside problem, the Timberwolves were mainly too restrained. In the offseason, the Lakers made good signings, introduced Ayton and Smart, and strengthened the team's shortcomings.

The Lakers are definitely not afraid of facing the Thunder. The Lakers have more singles resources than theirs, which has proven.

5. The Rockets' crazy reinforcement for off-season

Durant still maintains top singles efficiency (25+ per game). His indiscriminate jump shot has the ability to "hard solution" in the critical moments of the playoffs, making up for the Rockets' lack of key ball cores in the past, and the restraining power can create space for Shin Kyung's low post support and Amen's empty cut, and at the same time improve the shooting quality of the peripheral shooter group (such as Finney Smith's three-point shooting percentage of 41%). With other reinforcements, the overall strength of the team can be said to have a great increase in strength compared to last season. Next season, the Rockets' starting five players (Van Vritte, Durant, Smith, Shin Kyung, Amen) all have three-point threat or support capabilities, which can pull the Thunder's coordinated defense system with Homegren as the core, forcing Dolter and Caruso to be exhausted from filling in the position. The future of the Thunder is extremely bright, and the core framework composed of Alexander, Homegren and Jewish is enviable. However, the road to the championship has always been full of thorns, especially in the West where there are many powerful people. These five teams have powerful weapons that can make the Thunder fall into hard battles or even turn the situation. If you think so, you are welcome to discuss it in the comment section!