NBA Future Power Rankings: Every Team’s Spot In 5 Years
By Ti Windisch
No. 17: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have been a contending team for the past five years or so, but they likely won’t find themselves atop the NBA in 2020. It seems more and more likely each passing day that Oklahoma City will lose at least one of their young star players, and potentially both if things really go south.
Not to mention that Russell Westbrook plays at around 150 percent for every single minute he’s on the court, and Kevin Durant has been susceptible to injuries lately. Even if the Thunder keep a star, there’s no guarantee they’ll still be good enough to win many games five years from now.
The real knock against Oklahoma City is their front office. Signing Enes Kanter to a max deal was a suspect move at best, and the return in the James Harden trade was pretty light. There’s a chance OKC is good in the future, but not a great one.
Next: No. 18