via StadiumJourney.com

Rookie Class:

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a very unique position. One that they likely did not expect to be in at the time of the NBA Draft. Coming off a disappointing post-season run their goal certainly was to retool and give it another go. As a result, they were unable to get too much out of this particular draft. Out of the 4 rookies they have, only one of them was selected in the 2019 NBA draft. Darius Bazley was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd pick of the draft and then dealt to Memphis in a deal sending Mike Conley to Utah. He was then once again traded, ending up in Oklahoma City along with a future second-round pick for Brandon Clarke. Darius Bazleywas on the verge of creating some history. Coming out of Princeton High School he opted out of attending Syracuse to go directly to the NBA G-League. This move could potentially have set a trend for future high school players with no desire to go play in the NCAA. However, with a change of heart, he decided to spend the year training on his own in preparation for the 2019 NBA draft. His growth will be interesting to keep an eye on because he was considered to be a consensus 5-star recruit and a top prospect in his class before that as a McDonald’s All-American. There is a lot of unknown with him, but OKC is in no rush to become relevant again.

Most Exciting Player:

Chris Paul will be the most exciting player to watch on the Oklahoma City Thunder this year. It isn’t because he will light up the league or that they will be a contender as a result of his acquisition. Rather, it’s because of all the interesting storylines that come about as a result. My favorite story stems from the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina. That season the then New Orleans Hornets had nowhere to play. Instead, they spent an entire season playing in Oklahoma City. Chris Paul was embraced as one of their own, and both he and the people of the city must have a soft spot in their hearts for each other. I do look forward to seeing how they embrace each other as they enter very different phases from last season. Chris Paul is also an exciting player for the obvious reason that they are likely to try and move him at some point. When or where remains to be seen with the albatross of a contract he comes with. The money is not necessarily worth it for a team who should be rebuilding like OKC, but to a playoff team on the brink of contention, it’s worth it. The final wrinkle for me is to see what kind of a mentor he will be to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA played incredibly well for the Clippers last season and seems to have what it takes to be a starting point guard in this league for a long time. He still can learn a lot from Chris Paul, and the hope is that he truly takes him under his wings and teaches SGA how to have as successful of a career as he did.

Westgate Over/Under: 31.5

Last season the Thunder won 49 games, but this roster is completely different. A drop off to 31.5 wins projection indicates to me that they also fully expect this team to start trading away their established veterans and go full steam ahead with the rebuild. If that is the direction they go, then I do expect them to fall short of 31.5 wins. I do however see a scenario in which the Thunder start the season hot with some good veteran presence and a fairly disciplined core. If they aren’t getting trade offers that make sense, they may elect to let the season run its course. They already have plenty of draft picks stockpiled and will not feel pressured to make a trade they are not happy with.

Happiness is a Function of Expectations:

There is no secret that OKC is in full-on rebuilding mode and they have just about as good of a start to that process as they could have hoped for. At this point in time, it feels like the picks will be late in the first round, however with the ever-changing NBA landscape you just never know what will happen. The Clippers only managed to sign Kawhi Leonard to a three-year contract with a player option in the final year. Paul George also has a player option that same summer. If both of these players choose to leave, they will likely leave an entire franchise in ruins for years to come. The beneficiary of such a move would be the Oklahoma City Thunder who will be getting their first-round draft picks until 2026. This season will be about making smart moves and enable themselves to rebuild quickly and pounce on young talent when the opportunity arises. There are no winning-based goals for a rebuilding team, only losses and draft picks.