UA-59049186-1 NBA Team Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder - Good if it Goes

NBA Team Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

Offseason

Draft Picks: 11. PF. Domas Sabonis

Key Acquisitions: SG. Victor Oladipo, PF. Ersan Ilyasova, PF. Joffrey Lauvergne

Key Losses: SF. Kevin Durant, PF. Serge Ibaka, SG. Dion Waiters

Player Profiles

Projected Lineup

PG. Russell Westbrook: 6’3, 200

  • Ultra-athletic guard with a nonstop motor and killer instincts.
  • All-around PG that can score at will and create for others. Has become a much improved playmaker.
  • Inconsistent defensively but when he locks in he can defend at an high level.

SG. Victor Oladipo: 6’4, 210

  • Young 2-way SG that scores and functions well as a secondary playmaker.
  • Offensively, he can score on the ball and made huge strides as an off-ball scorer. He’s always been effective slashing, but really improved as a spot up shooter.
  • Defensive reputation is a little overblown at this point in his career, but he is one of the better young perimeter defenders in the game.

SF. Andre Roberson: 6’7, 210

  • Long, rangy wing with a nearly 7-foot wing span that can really defend.
  • Highly limited offensive player that plays exclusively off the ball. He gets shots in only 2 ways cutting to the basket and shooting at the rim, which is where he’s most effective, and spotting up from 3 where he’s significant less effective. His 31% 3-point percentage is very low considering mostly all of his 3s are open spot up shots.
  • Very good defender that can guard all 3 positions on the perimeter.

PF. Ersan Ilyasova: 6’10, 235

  • Stretch 4 that prefers to play 15 ft and out.
  • Offensively he’s a nice shooter that makes for a good pick n pop partner. He’s comfortable catching the ball and shooting or putting the ball on the floor attacking closeouts and is a capable passer.
  • Below average defender that isn’t a very good athlete. He’s not a rim protector and just doesn’t have the tools to be a stopper.

C. Steven Adams: 7’0, 255

  • Highly active and physical brute of a center that dominates the offensive glass and commands the interior defensively.
  • Improving offensive big that right now is most comfortable around the basket scoring on lobs, dump offs, offensive rebounds and as a dive man.
  • Good defender, right now most effective as a post defender as he is difficult to score on down low. Will not be moved very easily.

Bench

C. Enes Kanter: 6’11, 245

  • Talented offensive big that offers elite efficiency on offense. Very good finishing at the rim, can score with his back to the basket and is lights out 10-15 feet.
  • Phenomenal rebounder, averaged 14 boards per 36 minutes. Over 5 on the offensive glass.
  • Underachiever on defense that showed he can play a lot better during the playoffs but has been horrible the majority of his career.

SG. Anthony Morrow: 6’5, 210

  • Gifted 3 point shooter who only shows up to play on 1 end.
  • Offensively he’s a good all-around shooter that takes over 60% of his shots from 3. He’s  a career 40% from 3 guy that fell just shy of that clip last year and can pretty much be effective everywhere except at the rim.
  • Despite his 6’10 wingspan he’s been a non-factor on defense his entire career.

PG. Cameron Payne: 6’3, 185

  • Young athletic lefty PG that has the potential to be an impactful 2 way player.
  • Played limited minutes as a rookie but showed flashes of ability. The biggest concerns about his offensive game coming out of college were his ability to finish and shoot the 3 which both came into play. However he also showed that he can be en effective scorer in the PnR game that can really shoot it from the mid-range and close areas.
  • Had some struggles defensively as a rookie but with his 6’7 wingspan and active hands he projects to get better with experience and should be able to develop into a plus defender one day.

PF. Domas Sabonis: 6’11, 240

  • Rookie 2nd generation big man who was touted for having the most polished offensive post game of any prospect.
  • Highly skilled post scorer with advanced foot work for his age and nice touch around the basket. He has an improving mid-range shot and if he can get consistency with it that will help him be even better.
  • Defensively he should be fine in the interior because of his strength and basketball pedigree. He’s already got a high basketball IQ than most his age. But his lack of length will keep him from being able to thrive as an interior defender.

SF. Kyle Singler: 6’8, 228

  • Mediocre talent at the NBA level who works hard but just doesn’t have the tools to be very impactful.
  • Offensively he simply struggles because he’s not that talented nor does he have a specialty he can fall back on. He’s slow, he doesn’t have an handle, he isn’t very strong. He’s on the floor to shoot and throughout his career he’s been good from 3 but last year it wasn’t falling and he proved to be pretty much useless without it.
  • He plays hard and gives effort on defense but he just doesn’t have the lateral quickness and athleticism needed to defend on the wing in today’s NBA.

PF. Joffrey Lauvergne: 6’11, 220

  • Mobile big man with short arms that plays hard and rebounds.
  • Contributes offensively as a finisher who rolls hard and is capable of throwing it down. He can also can shoot it from close and mid-range.
  • With a wing span shorter than his height he’s got short arms that serve as a hindrance to his defensive ability. He’s not much of a factor blocking shots or contesting in the interior.

PG. Ronnie Price: 6’2, 190

  • Veteran backup combo guard.
  • Offensively he’s at his best attacking the basket where he’s most efficient shooting it. Normally a questionable 3 point shooter he shot a career high 34.7%. If he can keep that up he’ll be a productive player as he gets older and declines in athleticism.
  • Career negative defender that doesn’t have much impact on that end.

C. Mith McGary: 6’10, 255

  • Physical lefty big body center that can be a force rebounding the ball.
  • Limited offensive big man that can really finish around the basket.
  • Below average defender that can bang but doesn’t move very well and isn’t much of a shot blocker.

Breakdown

The Thunder’s starting 5 will look a lot different this year with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka gone. With those two gone Ilyasova and Roberson look to pick up the slack in the front court at the forward spots. Roberson will get to move from the SG position to the SF position where he’s a more natural fit giving his lack of ball handling ability. His role will still be the same serving as the team’s primary perimeter defender guarding the opponents toughest assignment. Defensively he’ll be asked to cut and finish and knock down open 3s which defenses are surely going to give him. Ilyasova isn’t a better player than Ibaka but he is a better shooter and will give the Thunder a true stretch 4 which should the Thunder will really need given that neither of their wing players are very good shooters. In the middle is Stevan Adams who has the potential to become the Thunder’s 2nd best player. He can be a man among boys at times and brings a great combination of power and energy to the court. In the backcourt Oladipo will take over as the starting SG joining super star PG Russell Westbrook making them perhaps the most athletic backcourt in the game. Both Westbrook and Oladipo are athletic studs who like to attack with the ball in their hands. Some are questioning the fit because of both players inconsistencies shooting the ball which I believe could hurt them.

The Thunder’s bench is a complete anomaly at this point outside of Enes Kanter who will be the team’s 6th man and get starter minutes even though he’s coming off the bench. Kanter’s an elite bench scorer that can keep the Thunder afloat while Westbrook is resting. After Kanter the Thunder bench could be good, average, or just really bad. They have a lot of unproven players that they will be counting on. On the wings Morrow and Singler figure to be the top options off the bench. Those 2 are veterans who can impact the game as shooters but neither player does much of anything else so they aren’t going to have tremendous impact. The key pieces besides Kanter on this bench will be Cameron Payne and Domas Sabonis. Payne has some potential but if he plays the way he did last year without much improvement while being given more minutes and more responsibility that will not be good for the Thunder. They need Payne to really show some growth. Sabnonis has talent but they really need more from him defensively and on the glass because they’re already getting scoring from Kanter. If Sabonis isn’t getting it done defensively they may turn to Lauvergne or McGary who both come with their own set of flaws as well.

Expectations

Just at first glance you look at the Thunder and you see Russell Westbrook and say yea this team will be a playoff team. But as I take a closer look I’m not sure. They’re are a lot of ifs that need to be answered about the supporting cast around Westbrook. I love Adams but he’s no impact player on offense, I like Kanter, but he isn’t reliable on defense. And when you factor in that Roberson and Oladipo can’t shoot it’s going to be near impossible to play Adams and Kanter together with the rest of the starters without completely clogging up the lane. I think we may see Kanter traded before the deadline because I just don’t think he’s a good fit for this team right now. This team needs a wing player that can shoot and not be a complete liability on defense. Nobody currently on that roster fits that bill. The Thunder can replace what Kanter does with Sabonis if he’s as good as advertised offensively but trying to depend on Singler, Morrow, and Roberson all season is just a little dicey for my taste. I think IF Oladipo proves to be a better shooter than in year’s past and IF Cameron Payne and Sabonis can be very good backups, then this team is a playoff team. But if Sabonis proves not to be ready and Payne shows no growth and nobody in the starting lineup besides Ilyasova can hit over 35% of their 3s I think the Thunder are going to be in trouble and miss the playoffs.

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