Thunder forward Jerami Grant says OKC is an NBA title contender heading into the 2018-19 campaign.

Grant, 24, feels they are “right up there with the other top teams in the West.”

OKC flamed out in the first round of last season’s playoffs, and Grant looks forward to a bigger role with Carmelo Anthony no longer in the picture.

Per HoopsHype:

JG: “I definitely feel like we’re contenders. We have amazing talent on our team, honestly, we’re right up there with the other top teams in the West. We have a great opportunity to do something really special, as long as everyone is focused and everyone is playing their hardest. If that happens, I think we’ll be fine and we’ll definitely get to where we want to get to.” A lot of people – whether they’re fans or media – are saying it’s inevitable that the Golden State Warriors are going to win the title. Or they’ll say only the Warriors and Houston Rockets have a shot at winning it all. How do you react to that kind of stuff? Do you use it as motivation? JG: “Definitely. Obviously, the media and whoever are going to say whatever they want to say. They can say that there’s only one or two teams that can win the championship. But, at the same time, we know what we’re capable of doing. With the team that this front office has put together, we’re extremely confident going into the season. As long as we focus on us and focus on what’s happening internally, I think we’ll be fine.”

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