What To Expect From the Thunder This Season

I need a break from Trump so I thought I might do something Thundery.

Given the departures of Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka this is clearly a new era in Oklahoma City Thunder basketball. Expectations have to be lowered, but it should still be an entertaining team which should make the playoffs. Other than the AAU team in Oakland and the Cavs this Thunder team should be capable of beating any of the other twenty-seven teams in the league on any given night, but by the same token they could also lose to the other twenty seven teams on one of those nights where Westbrook goes 7-27 from the field or so.

OKC will put the most athletic backcourt in the league on the floor in Westbrook and Oladipo. Steven Adams should continue to evolve as one of the best centers in the league as his offensive pick and roll game with Westbrook should be even better.

Enes Kanter should be a solid offensive contributor with an expanded role if he can be decent on the defensive end.

Andre Roberson will continue to find ways to score based on some of his post season success against the Spurs and Warriors.

I feel pretty good about those five in relation of what to expect.

Cam Payne to me is a big key to the season. He needs to be markedly better and more consistent than last season and I think he will if he has no problems with the Jones’ fracture surgery.

Ersan Ilyasova needs to be a consistent contributor shooting threes. OKC lost its two best three point shooters in Durant and Ibaka and how OKC as a team shoots the three will determine if they can become say the seventh, sixth, or fifth seed in the West. But the math is very simple. 3>2 and even with Durant and Ibaka the Thunder finished last season in 17th place as far as team three point shooting. Guys like Ilyasova, Oladipo, Kyle Singler, and Alex Abrines all have to give the Thunder three point scoring. It has to be a team goal in that regard.

I actually think Kyle Singler will rebound from his horrific season last year and give the Thunder some respectable minutes. If Singler could just give this team 12-14 minutes a game and contribute some threes, instant energy, and overall intangibles off the bench it would be huge for this team as they seek to create their new identity.

The rookie big Sabonis should get some time and give flashes of his promise as the season moves along.

Abrines played very little for Spain in the Olympics and his ability to improve defensively will determine if Billy Donovan can put him on the floor for more than just spot minutes here and there.

Mitch McGary is suspended for the first five games due to failing a drug test. Who knows what to expect from McGary? It’s a shame because he’s actually a guy with some nice offensives skills and instincts.

Anthony Morrow gives Donovan an excellent vet catch and shoot three point shooter on nights where Donovan wants to use him.

Nick Collison enters his final contract season with the Thunder and should give Billy Donovan a vet big who can be a positive teacher for the Thunder’s young bigs, plus play on the occasional night.

Veteran backup point guard Ronnie Price should give the Thunder decent depth as the third true point guard on the roster.

Billy Donovan should be more comfortable this season and won’t have to worry any longer about walking on eggshells with the burden of a Durant free agency season to deal with. He can just be a coach. He and his staff know that while they lost Durant in free agency they still have one of the two best point guards in the league quarterbacking their young team.

OKC should be the best offensive rebounding team in the league, in either conference and should rank near the top in overall rebounding. Losing both Ibaka and Durant should mark a decline defensively for the Thunder. Adams, Westbrook, Roberson, and Oladipo are all good defensive players, but Durant will be missed defensively as he improved his game markedly in that regard towards the end of last season.

I’m thinking OKC could go let’s say 48-34 and finish as the fifth or sixth seed in the West. Depending on how much some of the other players improve it would be a solid season if the Thunder could get out of the first round and advance to the conference semis.

Russell Westbrook should compete for the league MVP award to the final night of the regular season.

So while the Thunder can’t be regarded as a title contender, neither can twenty-seven other teams in the league as presently constructed.

But all in all it should be an interesting season as far as Westbrook chasing the MVP and the team hoping to finish higher than fifth or sixth in the West.

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