The Oklahoma City Thunder had three chances to record one win over the Golden State Warriors that would have sent them to the NBA Finals last season. While many people figured that their roster was good enough to beat the Golden State Warriors, it came as a major shock when franchise star Kevin Durant opted to leave Oklahoma City in order to continue his championship pursuit with the rival Warriors.
The Thunder did everything they could to deal with that potential knockout blow and after a busy offseason, it appears as though they are still primed to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Offseason Changes
Durant’s exit and in particularly the team he chose to sign with the Warriors sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. The 2014 NBA MVP is a top-five player and there is no doubt about how big of a blow it was to Oklahoma City’s roster moving forward. The Thunder did manage to sign Russell Westbrook to an extension and basketball fans in Oklahoma City have rallied around him as their potential savior. The Oklahoma City Thunder also managed to pull off what appears to be a very favorable trade by sending Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and rookie first round pick Domantas Sabonis. Oladipo might be a budding star and if that’s the case, the addition of him along with the growth of a young roster might mean that this team doesn’t slip too far in the standings.
Strengths
There is no doubt that this is now Westbrook’s team and it will be very interesting to see how he performs now that everybody understands that he is the man in Oklahoma City. Westbrook is one of the top point guards in the game and his aggression and competitiveness should be unleashed this season. Without Durant, a number of players will need to step up and that includes the offseason addition Oladipo, who will be relied on to compliment Westbrook with his scoring ability and form one of the top backcourt tandems in the NBA. Steven Adams has developed in to one of the top young big men in the NBA and he and Enes Kanter will be relied on to step up at both ends of the floor with bigger roles following Durant and Ibaka’s exit. The Oklahoma City Thunder should remain one of the top rebounding teams in the NBA and their overall talent level is still very impressive.
Weaknesses
Even with the remaining talent still in the fold, it’s impossible to ignore the impact of Durant’s loss. Oladipo is more of a slasher than a pure shooter, so Oklahoma City’s pure scoring ability takes a hit with Durant’s loss. The Thunder hit just 31.9-percent of their three-point shots a year ago and will need to improve in that area in order to avoid a significant drop off. Oklahoma City will also be leaning that much more heavily on inexperienced players like Adams, Ilyasova and Kyle Singler to play much bigger roles and that could hurt. This is a team that was right there in contention for an NBA Championship. Now they’re just hoping to get back to the same position.
Outlook
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell just short of their championship quest on two different occasions in the Durant era and they paid for it after last season when the 2014 MVP decided to leave town. Durant’s signing with the Warriors will make contending for a title that much more difficult for Oklahoma City and for every other team in the NBA. However, with Westbrook back in the fold and some impressive young talent including Oladipo, Adams and Kanter, it is clear that the Oklahoma City Thunder should still have the talent to win a division title. Oklahoma City will be motivated to overcome Durant’s loss, so look for an impressive regular season before they inevitably fall short of contending for a championship once the postseason rolls around. They still have an MVP-caliber player in Westbrook, but they probably don’t have enough to compete with teams like the Warriors or Spurs any longer.
Prediction: 1st in Northwest Division; 5th in Western Conference
