The last dynasty the NBA saw was the Golden State Warriors. They won four titles in seven years, including consecutive championships in 2017 and 2018.
That dynasty led other All-Stars such as Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodara to the floor, with Andre Iguodara playing a key role.
Steve Kerr’s system reconstructed the NBA by combining the team’s shooting talent with unpredictable ball and off-ball movements.
But former Warriors star DeMarcus’ cousin thinks Oklahoma City’s lightning has the opportunity to last that dynasty.
The Thunder is now reaching the NBA Finals, facing the Indiana Pacers and trying to win their first title from their Oklahoma City days.
“It’s definitely the beginning of a dynasty. I think it’s a dynasty that’s even stronger than what we’ve seen with the warriors,” Cousins said on the Run it Back Podcast.
“And the reason I say is, when the Warriors were in their prime and they were rolling everything, they didn’t have the assets this Thunder team had,” Cousins explained.
“This Thunder team was built to be successful for the next 10, 12 years, perhaps unprecedented in the NBA,” he added.
The cousin points out the specific reasons behind his bold predictions. He believes the main factor is not just the young core that Thunder has, but also the unprecedented asset collection.
Beyond three picks this year, including the 15th and 24th overall selection, OKC also holds six first-round picks until 2031. This replaces injured players with valuable currency that can be used to use in trading.
“They’re getting close to all their assets. They’ve come across injuries and they have the assets to get another superstar to replace the injuries,” Cousins said.
“I think they’re models now. I think a lot of teams are going to copy the models, or there’s a blueprint of collecting all these assets and building younger players especially for these small markets,” he explained.
Like the Warriors and Steph Curry at the beginning of the dynasty, Thunder has an MVP for Shy Gilgauss Alexander.
The comparison with the early dynasty of Golden State feels appropriate given the combination of both elite talent and strategic depth teams.
However, Cousins argues that Oklahoma City’s asset management gives them benefits that the Warriors never owned during a peak period when they lost the opportunity to get another ring due to injuries.