NBA: Preseason Fact And Fiction

October 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) is congratulated by guard Andre Iguodala (9) and guard Stephen Curry (30) for recording a block against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oct 10, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and forward Kevin Durant (35) before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeated the Mavericks 118-109. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards are in trouble without key players

The Thunder need Kevin Durant to win a title this year. The Wizards need Bradley Beal to have a shot at making another postseason run. Unfortunately, both teams will be missing these two key stars for 6-8 weeks; Durant with a Jones fracture in his foot and Beal with a wrist injury. So far in preseason, their absences have shown, as OKC is 2-5 with a -11.5 point differential and the Wizards are 4-4 while averaging an NBA-low 90.9 points per game.

Losing an MVP for nearly two months obviously makes life tough on a team with title aspirations. This is the Russell Westbrook show, for better or worse, and OKC might not have enough to stop from falling behind in the Western Conference standings. Washington has an easier path to home court advantage come playoff time, but a wrist injury is definitely detrimental to a guy whose game relies so heavily on three-point shooting. Are these teams in trouble?

Verdict: Fiction

Injuries to star players are unfortunate, but they happen, and luckily for these teams, they’re still well-equipped to compete for the time being. The Thunder’s schedule is manageable for the first two months and assuming Durant comes back completely healthy, there’s no need to panic since they’ll immediately regain their status as Western Conference contenders. The Wizards have a shooting guard shortage right now, but they can manage in the East provided John Wall, Marcin Gortat and Nene all stay healthy. Step away from that panic button.

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