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OKC Thunder: New Big 3 gives team title hopes

By Albert Dadson

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images /
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The OKC Thunder have traded for Carmelo Anthony and now the team is looking like a real title contender.

Sam Presti, the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, has traded for Paul George and now Carmelo Anthony. These two acquisitions now have the Thunder looking like a serious title contender.

When inserted into the starting lineup, Anthony will give the Thunder more offense that will center on the Big Three of Carmelo, Russell Westbrook and George.

George and Anthony will help the Thunder in the 3-point category in the starting lineup, where they struggled mightily last year, finishing dead last in 3-point percentage. Anthony shot 35.9 percent from three last year and George shot 39.3 percent

Carmelo Anthony attempted 421 threes last year and Paul George attempted 496. Other than Westbrook, no other player attempted more than 400 three-pointers on the Thunder and Westbrook attempted 583. The next player is Victor Oladipo, who attempted 352.

Here’s a look at the projected starting lineup for the Thunder:

Depth will again be a problem for the Thunder. Who will take over when the Big Three comes off the court? Surely one of these players will stay on the floor while the other two will be on the bench and that will be a problem that the Thunder will have to overcome.

Last year the bench was one of the big problems, other than the 3-point shooting. Raymond Felton will run the point for the second unit. Players to watch out for that will have to step up are Jerami Grant, Patrick Patterson and Dakari Johnson. Johnson impressed in the G League and will look to impress in the NBA ranks.

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Grant was traded to the Thunder early last season from the Sixers for Ersan Ilyasova. He has tremendous athleticism and has upside that could be realized in now his fifth season. Patrick Paterson has the ability to step out and shoot the three and will be a big asset for OKC.

The Thunder will have more offense than last year. Two years ago Thunder fans were suffering the loss of Kevin Durant and now they have a Big Three on their hands. In the trade for Anthony, the Thunder gave up Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a second round pick via the Chicago Bulls.

Anthony’s value had seemed to drop, as ESPN had Anthony ranked as the 64th best player in the NBA behind Lonzo Ball, which had heads spinning in disbelief. Anthony will now be on a much better team and will have the chance to prove himself.

Anthony was a player that took the league by storm from the beginning. People may forget that Anthony was LeBron James‘ biggest rival when they first came into the NBA. Anthony had the instant success with the Denver Nuggets, made the playoffs his rookie year and had the more NBA-ready game with his ability to shoot and his pure scoring ability.

His talent is not what has taken eyes off of him. It’s the fact that the overall team production has dropped. The Knicks have not made the playoffs four years straight and that is ultimately what has Carmelo Anthony not looked at as he once was before.

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LeBron James has been to the Finals seven years straight, so his legend has been able to grow. Now with the Thunder, Melo is part of a Big Three that if production is there, will get more eyes on him. The Thunder should at least be able to make the playoffs, which will finally get people to look at Carmelo as the player he once was.

Anthony has to prove that he can win in the NBA. He has only been to the Western Conference Finals once, and with the Knicks he was never able to make it back. George has to prove that he can be the man and he can close out games for his team.

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George wants the MVP award, and has openly said he is going for it this season. He also has the worst track record at go-ahead shots in the final 20 seconds since 2010. Westbrook has to prove that he can play with other great teammates and last year wasn’t a fluke since he is coming off an MVP season in which he averaged a triple-double. We all know about Westbrook’s past with Durant.

The latter will be the key. If Westbrook can defer to George and Anthony just enough so that they can accomplish their goals, then the Thunder will be able to go far. Westbrook will have to average double digits in assists this season for everybody to be happy. He was able to be a facilitator while averaging 30 points and 10.4 assists last year, despite having a weaker supporting cast. Anthony and George both usually average at least 20 points per game.

If you are the Thunder, you want to be able to extend Paul George in the near future. If the Big three works through the first 40 games, that is your biggest seller. The Thunder will be able to promise George that he can be a focal point of a contender for 3-4 years. Anthony is on the older side at 33, so the window may not be there but if George sees the production in terms of wins is there and if the chemistry is right (which is crucial) then you may see this team together for longer than this year. Also, Westbrook has still not signed the Designated Player Extension.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

Carmelo Anthony will play his first meaningful game against his old team, the New York Knicks. The game will be televised nationally on Oct. 19. Will Anthony win his first ring and realize his dream just like Kevin Durant did last year? This storyline couldn’t be more magical if Disney wrote it himself. As of right now the Thunder have stolen this offseason by acquiring George and Anthony.

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