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Oklahoma City Thunder season preview

By Dan Israeli

Sep 23, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo (5), Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) pose for portraits during Oklahoma City Thunder media day at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo (5), Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) pose for portraits during Oklahoma City Thunder media day at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NBA season will be here before you know it and FanSided is here to get you ready. In the lead up to Opening Night, we’ll be previewing two teams each day, reviewing roster changes, discussing important players and challenges, and hearing the perspective of our FanSided site experts. Let’s get ready for basketball!

Roster changes

Inputs: Domantas Sabonis (PF, NBA Draft pick No. 11); Victor Oladipo (SG, traded from the Orlando Magic); Alex Abrines (SG, signed for three years, $18 million); Ersan Ilyasova (PF, traded from the Orlando Magic); Joffrey Lauvergne (C, traded from the Denver Nuggets); Ronnie Price (PG, signed for two years, $5 million)

Outputs: Kevin Durant (SF, signed with the Golden State Warriors); Dion Waiters (SG, signed with the Miami Heat); Randy Foye (SG, signed with the Brooklyn Nets); Nazr Mohammed (C, unsigned); Serge Ibaka (PF, traded to the Orlando Magic)

Retained: None

Biggest question mark

It’s arguable that the Thunder, as a team, are one of the biggest question marks heading into the 2016-17 regular season. They were dealt the biggest blow of any team during the summer’s free agent frenzy, losing superstar Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors. The signing, while slightly unexpected, was at least something OKC braced for. The Thunder made enough offseason moves of their own to stay competitive, but the question is how competitive in a reloaded Western Conference?

In the wake of Durant’s departure, the biggest question mark facing this Thunder team is outside shooting. They lose a ton of scoring with KD gone, diverse scoring at that, but the loss from deep seems to be the most glaring. The Thunder were 17th in the NBA in both threes made (678) and percentage (34.9) last season with Durant, so when you subtract his contributions (186 treys at a 38.7 clip) OKC is left looking like a surefire, bottom ten team from deep.

Of course, the team added pieces that will make up for the loss of Durant on offense. Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova, brought over from Orlando in the Serge Ibaka trade, will be tasked with taking and making threes when Russell Westbrook kicks out of penetration. Oladipo is a career 33.9 percent shooter from beyond, but did show spurts of improvement over the course of last season. Ilyasova’s career mark from distance is 37 percent, but he has never been a volume guy with a career average of 2.7 attempts per game.

Both guys will need to improve on either efficiency or volume, but the x-factor in the offense may be Spaniard Alex Abrines, a career 39.6 percent three-point shooter in all European competition (a mark that improves to 42.3 percent in just Liga ACB play). It’s clear the Thunder will fair best if Westbrook does not overhaul his offensive game by forcing more bad threes (career 30.2 percent) and instead gets his new teammates involved with open looks, hopefully in transition. It will be a big key for a team that is facing an offensive identity crisis after losing one of the best scorers in NBA history.

Biggest rivalry

Most teams will dread seeing the Golden State Warriors come up on their schedule this season. The Thunder may treat their four games with the Dubs this season (@ GS 11/3, @ GS 1/18, vs. GS 2/11, vs. GS 3/20) as their own personal NBA Finals.

Clearly, this isn’t the best rivalry from a competitive balance standpoint. The Thunder will field a solid squad this year, a threat for 45-50 wins and a fringe playoff contender, but there are only two teams that can legitimately rival the Warriors this season and they play in Cleveland and San Antonio. OKC and Golden State will instead serve as the perfect David vs. Goliath rivalry in the NBA this season, and maybe one of the best of its nature in sports history.

There is no question Westbrook was deeply affected by Durant’s departure this summer, no matter how cool (or subliminally) he tries to play it off. The void left behind has shattered Westbrook’s current title hopes, when you consider OKC’s currently constructed roster, but nothing can and ever will shatter Westbrook’s confidence and competitive streak. He has always been a player commended for bringing it 110 percent every game, and that number may expand to 200 percent in games against the Warriors this season.

And lets not forget, this rivalry still has all the residue left over from past Thunder-Dubs clashes, most recently their epic, seven-game 2016 Western Conference Finals. In addition to Westbrook vs. Durant, we also get Draymond Green vs. Steven Adams’ nether regions. Oladipo and Klay Thompson should lock into a fierce battle of athletic and defensive two-guards, while new additions like rookie Domantas Sabonis and the enigmatic Zaza Pachulia should add to the fun.

There are few matchups that will make for appointment TV this season as much as Thunder vs. Warriors. Make sure not to miss a single battle.

Related Story: Miami Heat Season Preview

What does success look like?

— Tony Heim, @Thunderousint, Thunderous Intentions

Defining success for the Oklahoma City Thunder is almost impossible. After being championship contenders for the last four seasons, the expectations by the national media have dropped significantly. But not for Thunder fans and the organization.

Russell Westbrook expects nothing less than contending with the top-tier teams because that’s who Russell Westbrook is. Victor Oladipo has repeated that the team’s mentality is solely on winning a championship. Leicester City taught the sports world that superior team chemistry can win a title, but I have serious doubts that a Westbrook-led team can play that style.

Ultimately, this team should be ecstatic if they make the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs. That goal is realistic, but it’s going to take a true change in Russ’ style of play for that to happen. He’s looked much more comfortable being the lone alpha-dog and his leadership skills have increased immensely over the offseason. However they don’t have a second star they can count on if Russ is having an off night. Victor Oladipo could be that guy next year, but he hasn’t shown enough in the preseason for me to trust him completely.

I like the TrailBlazers to win the division; a 5-seed is still not out of the question for OKC. If they fall anywhere past that slot I don’t see them being good enough to defeat one of the three-headed monsters in Golden State, San Antonio or Los Angeles.

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