The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2016-17 season is not dead yet.

Kevin Durant made the announcement that shook the world, and mainly Oklahoma City. Durant decided to join up with the 73-win Golden State Warriors in a quest to win his first NBA title. The Thunder lost their superstar, the player that was there for the first game in franchise history. It is a demoralizing loss for the city, the fans, the team and ownership.

Still, the Thunder cannot just sit back and wallow now. This is a team that many thought would be the favorites to win the NBA championship had Durant returned.

They have a roster with loads of talent, and now that talent has been in the situation of playing huge playoff games. This is the team that had the enemy Warriors down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals just a few months ago. While Durant is gone, the majority of the other fourteen players remain. The core is still here.

On top of that, many saw the Thunder as the early winners of the off-season on draft night. They essentially added three players who will contribute for them in exchange for one. While that was supposed to be the pieces of depth that made it impossible for Durant to move on, they now serve a different purpose. They are the group added to heal the wound of Durant. Victor Oladipo is the headliner, and his athleticism next to Russell Westbrook makes the Thunder a must watch team with a high ceiling on their 2016 season.

While it just got a whole lot tougher, here are the five reasons the Oklahoma City Thunder can still win the NBA Finals without Kevin Durant