The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a 3-1 start, and one week into the 2015-16 season, it’s looking like any non-injury-related doubts about this team were misguided. Make no mistake about it: with a healthy Big Three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, this Thunder team is good for anywhere from 55-60 wins and has a legitimate shot at winning a championship.
With Durant coming off a serious foot injury and OKC sporting a rookie head coach in Billy Donovan, that kind of early season takeaway seemed like a faraway dream just a few weeks ago. But even with a new coach at the helm, this deep Thunder team is firing on all cylinders so far this season.
In the 2015-16 opener, the Thunder downed a San Antonio Spurs team that acquired LaMarcus Aldridge this summer. They fought back to beat a surprisingly tough Orlando Magic team in double-overtime, they routed the lowly Denver Nuggets and they finally came back down to earth in a five-point loss to the Houston Rockets, a dark horse title contender that needed 37 points from James Harden to get the W.
It’s still extremely early in the new NBA season, but with the Oklahoma City Thunder already looking like a Western Conference powerhouse yet again, here’s a look at five encouraging signs thus far.
Next: No. 5