Oklahoma City Thunder: 2015-16 Season Outlook
Three Key Storylines
1. Can Kevin Durant Be 100 Percent Again?
Russell Westbrook is a top-10 player in this league. Serge Ibaka is an elite rim protector, Enes Kanter is a double-double machine and the Thunder have a much better bench than in years past with D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler, Anthony Morrow, Steven Adams and the promising Mitch McGary. But none of it matters if Kevin Durant can’t stay healthy and return to MVP form.
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In 2013-14, Durant was the unquestioned MVP of the league, averaging an absurd 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor, 39.1 percent from three-point range and 87.3 percent from the foul line. He carried the Thunder to a 59-23 record with Westbrook missing 36 games and was simply unstoppable.
But the Thunder fell short in the Western Conference Finals with Ibaka missing the first two games of the series, and thanks to a Jones fracture in his foot, Durant missed the first month of the season before playing off and on for the next couple of months, finally shutting it down in mid-February.
But from what we saw in that limited window, a healthy Kevin Durant is still one of the best players in the NBA.
In his 27-game season, Durant clearly struggled with his offensive rhythm at times — a byproduct of those nagging foot problems. Still, KD averaged 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game on .510/.403/.853 shooting splits last year, which would easily make him a top-5 MVP candidate any year.
Just ask the Golden State Warriors, who watched Durant put up 30 first half points on their highly vaunted defense before he had to leave the game with another injury.
Games like that more than signal that if Kevin Durant can stay healthy (which is by no means guaranteed), the Thunder have as good a chance as anyone to win the West. Durant is plenty confident in his abilities, so now the only question is whether or not this worrisome foot issue is something he can put behind him.
Next: Storyline: Can Kanter Silence His Critics?