Apr 13, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a play against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

With the release of Oklahoma City’s preseason schedule on the horizon, people are already prepping for the return of Thunder Basketball. All over OKC I’ve talked with fans about the changes that the Oklahoma City Thunder have implemented this offseason. A common reason for optimism is the idea of OKC running a newer offense. That’s not a slam on former head coach Scott Brooks, but the Thunder are turning the page on a new chapter with Billy Donovan and it looks like it’s going to be great.

Last season, we experienced an unlikely duo with Russell Westbrook and Enes Kanter. The two began to establish a rhythm using the pick-and-roll offense, an offense that Coach Donovan used at Florida for numerous years. Using the pick-and-roll has worked for a number of teams over the years and is a staple of almost every team’s offense. In the 1990’s, no team ran it better than Utah with John Stockton and Karl Malone.

Ideally, you could expect the Thunder to experiment with the pick-and-roll during training camp. This could result in some unlikely offensive duos that could extend from the starting unit to the bench, such as what we saw last season when Westbrook and Kanter seemed to flourish together:

On paper, the Thunder look dangerous and are a likely contender to win the Western Conference and perhaps a NBA title; chemistry is a big part of that. I wrote previously about the team meeting in Los Angeles, working with Donovan and bonding as a team. But there could be specific pairings – an unlikely combination of players – that could thrive on the floor together and help the team achieve their ultimate goal.