Markieff Morris thinks the OKC Thunder will remain the favorites in the 2026-27 season

Markieff Morris thinks the OKC Thunder will remain the favorites in the 2026-27 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>After the Oklahoma City Thunder lost the 2026 Western Conference Finals, some people have counted them out for future seasons. A lot of people think that the San Antonio Spurs have taken over as the best team in the West, but they still have some stiff competition.

>People have to remember that the OKC Thunder did lose in the WCF, but they did not have a healthy roster. If they had a roster with fit and firing players, they would have won against the Spurs.

Markieff Morris still sees the OKC Thunder as the favoritesWhile it is easy to predict that Victor Wembanyama will be a dominant force for years to come, he will have some opponents. The Thunder are primed to be that team, as they are young and hungry.

>They just won the 2025 championship, so missing out on a back-to-back could fuel them further. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlining this team with a top-tier coach like Mark Daigneault, they are hard for any team to play against.

>MORE: Chet Holmgren is motivated to bounce back after a horrible 2026 Western Conference Finals

>Former NBA player Markieff Morris has given his take on the favorites ahead of the 2026-27 season. He believes that a healthy Thunder could dominate the league once again, especially since they have a chip on their shoulder again after the loss in the WCF.

>"I have to go with OKC, they were the best team in the league last year. I said this before, sometimes the best team doesn't win, and that was the case this year. They were down their second-best player and third-best scorer, and they still took the Spurs to seven," Morris said on ESPN's First Take.

>Morris does acknowledge that there are many teams that can be champions like the Spurs and the defending champions, the New York Knicks. However, he does not see any team winning against a fully-healthy Thunder squad.

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