Oklahoma City Thunder: 2017-18 NBA season preview

Storyline 1: How does this Big Three compare to others?

Superstar duos appear across the league, from Chris Paul and James Harden in Houston this year, to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City until last season. But when a team amasses such a potent “Big Three,” the evaluation changes into something more.

Three stars willing to sacrifice for each other and compete is the backbone of many recent title teams. From the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat to the Boston Celtics, a handful of teams have brought together three stars and seen mostly success.

That doesn’t mean things will be smooth sailing for the Thunder. Boston’s Big Three contained three players who were beginning to ride out of their prime, coming together for the specific purpose of winning a title. Although Anthony is past that point in his career, George and Westbrook are firmly in their prime.

In both Miami and Cleveland, LeBron James ran the show with either Dwyane Wade or Kyrie Irving as the second banana, and the big man was forced to sacrifice to make things work. Both Chris Bosh and Kevin Love gave up shots and the spotlight to operate as a highly-overqualified role player. Without those sacrifices, LeBron James might be without a title.

With Westbrook, George and Anthony all joining up, a balance for shots and simply time with the ball will have to be struck. Who will give up the most to make this team successful? Or, like recent “super teams” in Los Angeles or Brooklyn, will the inability to properly sacrifice for each other doom the team to a subpar finish?