Oklahoma City Thunder: 2018-19 NBA season preview

Storyline 3: The OKC center for reputation rehabilitation

Westbrook will not be the only player on the Thunder trying to kick a bad reputation this season. Meet Nerlens Noel and Dennis Schroder, two players in serious danger of falling into “it’s hopeless” territory. This season they will try to prove that they can be productive and positive members of team, both on and off the court.

To be fair, Noel doesn’t deserve his reputation as lost cause. It’s not that he’s a bad player, it’s just that he hasn’t been given a real chance yet. Shortly after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013, he got injured. After that he was stuck in a center logjam with Jahlil Okafor, Richaun Holmes, Joel Embiid and about 40 others. After that, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where, he spent most of his time on the bench.

Even in limited minutes, Noel has shown plenty of flashes of his defensive and offensive upside. He’s a walking double-double if he can get enough minutes, and should be a great backup to Steven Adams as part of a system that is more suited to playing a traditional big.

Dennis Schroder, on the other hand, has a very different problem. It’s not his game that’s been at fault, it’s his attitude. He has been in trouble for everything from getting in fights to punching DeMarcus Cousins in the groin, but in Oklahoma City he will have a chance to leave all that behind and show that he can act like a professional.

For both players this is a fresh start, and a last chance to shake a bad reputation.