The time is now to include yet another edition of the SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 team list. Media day was yesterday for some of the teams, to make your anticipation that much more fervent. We all cannot wait to see what our favorite teams will do in their 2019 campaigns, as some hope that their teams finish with a positive record while also supplanting the evidence to separate themselves from the bottom of the pack as a come-up team that will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
That being said, that ties into the synopsis of today’s team: the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s not the first time OKC has experienced a blowup. It’s the first season in franchise history that not a single member of the original OKC Four (the individual-and-combined success quartet of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Serge Ibaka) will be wearing Thunder blue, and as sad as it is seeing their beloved Russell Westbrook head down south to reunite with his old Thunder buddy James Harden for the Rockets, the plan to grow the next generation of Thunder is now the #1 priority for General Manager Sam Presti.
Along with persuading veteran and probable first-ballot hall of fame guard Chris Paul to stick around for what could be a really bright future in OKC.
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24. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-46) – And So Begins The Long And Painful Road To Recreating a Champion
Yesterday afternoon, Russell Westbrook took questions, posed for photographers and chatted it up with fellow teammates, staying in accord to his customary media day schedule. Just another year-opener in the career of the 8-time All-Star and 2017 Most Valuable Player.
This time, it was in Houston Rocket red. Frivously and freely dancing in his photo sessions, smiling after every question that came his way, the longtime, and now former, top dog of Oklahoma City sat beside his new – er, old – teammate James Harden. The era of the original Thunder quartet is 100% over.
That doesn’t mean its time for Thunder fans to sulk and lament their misfortune in free agency, though.
Sure, that may have been one of the worst offseasons in franchise history (actually, no, it probably is the worst occurrence in franchise’s short history, more than losing KD to Golden State) losing both Paul George and Russell Westbrook in a matter of weeks, a duo that had cemented themselves as a difficult out in back-to-back postseason visits. And for the first time since 2008 – OKC’s inaugural season – they will be without a superstar for the entire 2019 season.
That is if Chris Paul stays in Oklahoma, which now looks as likely as someone winning the lottery without buying a ticket.
Surely, the Thunder wish they can have the most probable chance of winning the Chris Paul sweepstakes, though the eight-time all-star and seven-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team is getting attention from teams, most notably the Miami Heat. It makes sense for the 34-year old to salvage whatever time is left in his career with a viable contender that can challenge for a deep playoff run, so his departure seems almost imminent.
Still, the offer stands for Paul to stay put and help build this roster to contention for the next couple of seasons, especially with the Thunder’s basket case of first-round draft picks in 2020 (by virtue of the Clippers) and beyond to help make the Thunder a young and potentially dangerous team to face in the coming years. But without Paul, the Thunder find themselves in the deepest and darkest of uncharted territories their organization has ever entered.
With one slim perception of this Thunder roster, the Thunder have a really good chance to have a record over .500, and it isn’t too farfetched to believe so. Billy Donovan is well accustomed to throwing out his most seasoned vets on the floor at once, so expect the same in 2019. Dennis Schroeder, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and CP3 (if he’s still on the roster come October 23) is still a solid starting five, and there’s no denying that. Yet their bench will be the biggest question mark heading into a new campaign.
Though, that very question has some finality to it. Donavan will allow his inexperienced-yet-prodigious pieces in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo and rookie Darius Bazley to blossom out of rookie status and into revered bench depth that will one day command the franchise’s direction. That may not happen right away for next season, considering how packed the West is, and specifically, the Northwestern division altogether.
But with all the draft assets the Thunder get in 2020 and 2021 from the Clippers (The Thunder received Danilo Gallinari, SGA, a 2021 Miami Heat first-round pick, a 2022 first-rounder, 2023 first-round swap rights, a protected Miami 2023 first-rounder, a 2024 first-rounder, 2025 first-round swap rights and a 2026 first-rounder for Paul George) and what Sam Presti got from trading Westbrook (ending up with Chris Paul, conditional 2021 swap rights, a protected 2024 first-rounder, conditional 2025 swap rights, and a protected 2026 first-rounder), the Thunder could be set up pretty nicely by filling in some crucial spots that need addressing for the next decade.
Assessing the current roster’s potential for this upcoming season, understanding that this Thunder team will easily be the most underwhelming roster in franchise history, if that’s even worth mentioning. There are still some volume scorers on this roster that should not be overlooked, like former Knick, Nugget and Clipper Danilo Gallinari. The Italian scoring machine hadn’t played through a full season since 2013 but he was critical for getting buckets for the Clippers last year. While accumulating 19.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 43.3 percent from deep last year, we saw Gallinari at his peak as a starter in this league.
Among the duo of Tobias Harris and 2018-19 sixth man of the year Lou Williams, ‘Nilo matched their offensive productivity and adapted to the swing of the trendy big man, a versatile inside-out scorer that is dually gifted in his footwork on the low block.
From a defensive standpoint, the Thunder possess who some would argue to be one of the most consistent defenders in Andre Roberson. Before he ruptured his left patellar tendon in the January of 2017, the Thunder – during the era of Westbrook/Carmelo/Paul George – posted one of the best defensive plus/minuses in the league and after he went down, the team’s defense was 12.5 points worse per 100 possessions when he left the floor. He was too valuable of a piece for the Thunder that year, ultimately leading up to their first-round exit.
Now healthy, having him around the facility is a plus but there is no full guarantee he will be half the player he was because he hasn’t even set foot on NBA hardwood in over two years. Roberson, a former defensive standout at Colorado, reached the NBA All-Defensive Second Team with the likes of new Laker Anthony Davis and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the last season he played, Roberson was one of 11 players to finish with at least a block and steal per game.
Thunder fans still have the defensive prowess and efficiency of veteran big man Steven Adams, who is now qualified as the most original Thunder player on the roster. Heading into his 7th season with the only franchise he’s known, Adams tallied 13.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 59.5 percent from the floor on 52 percent shooting – a career-best. He has been, and will still be the most reliable player on the floor. If you need a stop at the rim, a basket out of the pick and roll, Adams is your guy.
The New Zealand native could very well compliment the games of this Thunder team endowed with a strong backcourt rotation, making the floor spacing possibilities with Dennis Schroeder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and/or Chris Paul a point of emphasis to utilize on a nightly basis.
Speaking of the Thunder backcourt depth, a perfect blend of youth and experience will benefit this growing roster. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks like he’s the franchise guard for the future, and Billy Donavan will do what he can to make sure the second-year guard out of Kentucky will get as much in-game repetition as he possibly can. SGA impressed his rookie year, starting 73 games and coming off the bench for 11 games, averaging 10.8 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per contest and 3.3 assists a game on 47.6 percent shooting.
Widely praised by his LA Clipper teammates for his twitchy ability to slash, create space for others and separation between him and his defender, all while holding his own on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 2.3 steals a game.
Aside from him is Dennis Schroeder, who is going into his second year as a member of the Thunder. An aggressive guard who mirrors the all-around effort of Russell Westbrook, Schroeder put together a solid 2018-19 after coming over from Atlanta as their former starting guard. Though his numbers took a dip since he came off the bench for the first time in his career, the German guard’s lightning-quick penetration and microwavable-scoring efforts anchored Oklahoma City as a part of their rotation.
Now, onto the topic of their first-round selections in this year’s draft. The Thunder selected high school standout Darius Bazley with the 23rd pick, and though he did not play a single minute of college basketball as a result of serving a million-dollar internship with New Balance.
One fun fact: Rich Paul – his agent, and LeBron’s agent, too – helped him with the plan. As it goes, NBA rules dictate that a draft prospect must be one year removed from high school graduation before they can declare for a draft. Instead, Bazley decided to forego the NCAA to disregard his amateur status, worked on his game at his 6’9, 200-lb frame, seven-foot wingspan and now looks to be a multitalented, pure athlete that can score and defend anywhere on the floor.
Other pieces like Hamidou Diallo, who now reunites with his old classmate in SGA, the bouncy Terrance Ferguson, and the project of former Sixer and 7-footer Justin Patton, the Thunder have nowhere to go but up. And that may just be the best thing about this young unit.
Speaking hypothetically here: suppose CP3 says ‘hey, you know what? I’m already satisfied with where I am now and I believe I have what it takes to make these young guys into contenders in the next 2 years.’ Well, imagine that pairing of ball IQ at the guard spot, a scary three-to-four man attack in transition, and a frontcourt full of big men that can both shoot, set some mean screens and rebound? Say, that ain’t bad.
Hypotheticals aren’t reality and things aren’t going to get off on the best foot. Yes, the Thunder raked in a lot of different accolades as the fourth-best defensive team in the NBA (due to Paul George nearly winning defensive player of the year) but with the replacement of PG with a rusty Andre Roberson, and the nightly triple-double-grabbing output of Russell Westbrook with Chris Paul or his younger counterparts, the Thunder will struggle. But that’s expected when you stick with your most inexperienced pieces. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
Granted, the Thunder could stick to this starting five for this year and by doing that, be in a position to relinquish some expiring contracts en route to getting cap space to sign some max free agents, like how they did in the 2017 offseason when they signed Paul George. Also, those picks acquired this summer could be even more bargaining chips to get the players Sam Presti may want in a couple of years down the road.
Whatever happens, the power of destiny lies in the palms of the Thunder’s organizational division. So yeah, this is what the first-ever rebuild of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s franchise will entail. You have no stars to fall back on, so suck it up, make the right decisions in free agency and put the future of Thunder basketball in good hands.
The clock to recreate that fearsome Northwestern division foe starts now.
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