In this edition of the Thunder mailbag, we look at OKC's growth to 57 wins, what's next and a ranking of best NBA arenas to visit.

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@DionisAZ30: I'm a little worried about how high they've made our team (It's normal given what we've done in the offseason) but don't you think that could be negative, carrying so much pressure being a relatively young team?

If expectations are the downfall of a team that won 57 games a year ago, then perhaps all the Thunder-speak and (Mark) Daigneault-isms that laced interviews last year were for nothing.

All the zero-and-zero, the emphasis on staying present. All the propaganda that leads you to believe OKC is grounded.

This team feels especially braced for those issues. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has long been criticized as the unproven star, unable to win, who was being lapped by his peers in playoff success. Chet Holmgren has been under a microscope since he was 16. Jalen Williams is heckled enough off his social media posts and jovial nature to last some people a lifetime.

Lu Dort was part of the team that suffered a 73-point loss, and endured the Thunder’s rebuild alongside Gilgeous-Alexander. Scattered throughout the remainder of the roster are players who, at some point last season, realized they’d earned targets on their back. They still turned in a solid postseason run as the youngest No. 1 seed ever.

Don’t get me wrong: Expectations, especially of the magnitude being pinned on the Thunder this upcoming season, are notable. If they don’t blanket an entire team, they weigh on the mind of a few rotational players.

Veterans and deep-bench role players certainly help put those things into context, usually reeling those who seem affected back in. I imagine players like Alex Caruso, who’s already won big; Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the older players on the roster now and formerly the starting center for a team with the most rabid fanbase in basketball; and Kenrich Williams, an aging vet who seems to know himself well all help in these scenarios.

The Thunder will be forced to grapple with expectations long before the playoffs come. The targets will be set from the season opener this time. And while they’ll certainly play a factor, I don’t know that the difference between a conference finals run and an NBA Finals berth will be because of how the team handles expectations.

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@PlatteCat: After a year on the beat: Top 3-5ish visiting arenas? (Or however many you care to power rank)

I should preface this with the arenas I haven’t visited as a beat writer: Portland’s Moda Center, Houston’s Toyota Center, Memphis’ FedEx Forum, Charlotte’s Spectrum, Orlando’s Kia Center, Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, Chicago’s United Center — grew up there but arenas are different when granted access — and Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (the final two were games played during the first week of the season, before I was hired).

I have some exploring to do.

For the most part, I cycled through some of the league’s greatest hits. I don’t have the heart to rank them in order (I’m fortunate to have been to all of them), but I know which ones left me most impressed:

Boston: What is there to say? You’ve heard the stories. You know the history. It flashes through your mind when you step through the tunnel, into the Garden, and you’re met by the sea of green. It’s legendary. When the games matter, which is pretty often there, the atmosphere is almost unparalleled.

As far as beat writer perks, their media meal is lavish. There’s a chef on standby, ready to cut the steak by the slab. The in-game seat is a perfect median between the worst, rafter seats (Golden State) and the rare few who still keep scorer’s table seats.

Dallas: After spending more time there than any other visiting arena this year, I’ve gotten to know the American Airlines Center well.

There’s so much to love about Dallas.

If you’re a fan, it’s one of the best atmospheres in the league. Especially come playoff time. Granted, I’ve been there strictly for Thunder games, which carry some added spice.

With a lengthy seating chart at the scorer’s table, Dallas remains one of the best seats — if not the best — for a writer in the NBA. So close that you see expressions and hear profanity, but not so close that Tim Hardaway Jr. gets chalk on you and Jason Kidd’s back is in your line of sight for an entire half.

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Sacramento: The Golden 1 Center is easily one of the best experiences in the NBA. Sacramento fans are wild. It’s one of the loudest places to watch a game in the league.

There’s this connection that’s absent in most arenas.  When Keegan Murray drills a 3, the PA announcer shouts “Keegannnnnn.”

The crowd replies: “Murrrrayyyyy.”

Inside the bowels of the arena, the best parts of Kings culture are in your face. Framed magazine covers from the early-2000 glory days, odes to Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic and more.

For a city that’s mostly suffered through basketball agony, its games feel closer to New Year's Eve every time I pull up.

Lakers: There’s really no place quite like Staples Ce — sorry, Crypto.com Arena. It’s a nightly substitute for the Met Gala, a barrage of celebrities and stars to the point of normalcy.

The basketball is cool, too. These days it’s LeBron James and Anthony Davis, an easier watch than a few years back during the Robert Sacre era. But the place itself feels like royalty. Like, no matter if Jeremy Lin and Jordan Hill are playing, it’s the most glorious basketball sanctuary around.

Games feel elevated. Teams usually bring their best shot during trips to Los Angeles. It’s everything that documentaries and TV make it out to be, and then some.

And, crazy enough, it remains one of the closest views a beat writer can get in the league. We sit along the baseline, just feet away. It’s pretty amazing, all things considered. There are far worse, far less storied teams pushing writers up to the clouds to watch games.

The visiting press conference room is intimate, but not so intimate that reporters and Mark Daigneault are intertwined in some group hug (which is the case in some places).

Unlike McDonald’s there’s a functional ice cream machine, too. Shoutout L.A., man.

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To make future editions of the mailbag, email questions to jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or message him on Twitter @jxlorenzi.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder ready to handle high expectations