Fansided

Oklahoma City Thunder: Success will depend on young players stepping up

By Wes Goldberg

May 31, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) steals the ball from San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills (8) during the fourth quarter in game six of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) steals the ball from San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills (8) during the fourth quarter in game six of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Two years removed from its NBA Finals run, the Oklahoma City Thunder had since lost James Harden and dealt with serious injuries to both Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka during key parts of the season and post-season.

More from Kevin Durant

However it seems as if cost cutting has dominated as the primary priority in Oklahoma City, rather than spending to try to build a contender.

That led to an underwhelming offseason despite Durant’s 2016 free agency being a real thing and, according to Moke Hamilton of basketballinsiders.com, the Thunder will have to rely on its young role players to get them through the Western Conference.

"Had Sam Presti managed to corral Pau Gasol this summer, he could have made all the difference. Instead, now, Anthony Morrow and Sebastian Telfair and rookie Mitch McGary will be the new faces that the Thunder hope can put them over the top. With the conference getting tougher each season, a look around out West sees a number of teams improving themselves and their stock. Frankly, the Thunder have failed to keep up as cost-cutting has become a high priority. In the end, their talent will take them to the top of the conference, but whether they can win it or not? They are, unfortunately, still mostly depending on natural progression and chemistry. It may not be enough to topple the Spurs, Clippers, Trail Blazers and perhaps even the Mavericks, though the Thunder should still rightfully expect to win their division, once again."

Since losing Harden, the Thunder have gotten worse and the rest of the conference has improved. Dwight Howard joined the Houston Rockets, Kawhi Leonard blossomed in San Antonio, the Golden State Warriors got loaded and the Portland Trail Blazers have improved every year.

Meanwhile, the focus among those who talk about the Thunder has been replacing Harden. That’s the wrong way to look at it. As the Spurs showed us last season in beating the Miami Heat, you don’t need three super stars to win a ring, you need a solid core of role players to support a couple.

Rather than trying to find the next Harden in the draft, Presti should be corralling some of the young talent he has and making moves for veterans who can contribute now. What was stopping them, for example, from making a deal for Thaddeus Young? Why not push harder for Gasol or even Greg Monroe? Could you imagine how much of a defensive upgrade Omer Asik would have been to Kendrick Perkins? The list goes on.

The excuse of cost cutting in a small market doesn’t work either, look at what LeBron James did with a group of veteran minimum vets in Miami and what he has now in Cleveland.

The charm of the Thunder had been that they were built through the draft, but that has become a weakness that could lead to its undoing.

More on FanSided.com

NBA Power Rankings: Breaking down the divisions
Golden State Warriors’ new arena design
Kawhi Leonard rumors: Will San Antonio Spurs extend Leonard by October 31?
Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant looks ‘very good’ during scrimmage
Los Angeles Clippers rumors: Big changes if they don’t meet expectations?

Home/Kevin Durant