Oklahoma City Thunder
Contender:
Assuming Durant is able to return a month or so into the season and stay fully healthy, there’s no reason to exclude the Oklahoma City Thunder from the contender category. KD is coming off a season in which he won his first MVP award with a 32-7-5 stat line and Russell Westbrook nearly averaged a triple-double during an excellent postseason. Give the younger role players another year to develop and suddenly OKC is as good as it’s ever been.
The fact that Durant and Westbrook are barely entering their primes NOW is a terrifying thought for the rest of the league, especially since the Thunder have only been held back by injury problems in the last two seasons. If it weren’t for Russell Westbrook’s knee injury in 2013 and Serge Ibaka’s two-game absence in the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder might have broken up one of those Spurs-Heat Finals matchups.
Pretender:
It’s pretty obvious how things could go south pretty quickly for Oklahoma City. First it was Westbrook, then Ibaka, and now it seems it’s Durant’s turn to be hurt. We’re all hoping KD will make a fully healthy return, but in the event he doesn’t, Westbrook and Ibaka aren’t carrying this team by themselves. Reggie Jackson will be a great sixth man, but if Scott Brooks decides to start him, OKC’s bench will be seriously lacking in firepower.
There’s also the possibility that with Durant missing 6-8 weeks, the Thunder will have too much ground to make up in the Western standings by the time he returns. Westbrook is a dynamic player, but no one knows yet if he’s capable of being Option A for an elite team. If he is unable to play great basketball and keep the Thunder afloat without their MVP, OKC will have a very tough road through the playoffs. Still, as long as everyone’s healthy, the Thunder are as good as anyone.
Verdict: Contender