Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 goals for the 2019 offseason

1. Get healthy

Injuries are a part of sports. They are inevitable. When you have the world’s elite athletes performing at the highest level on the biggest stage, accidents happen.

For the Thunder, injuries are a part of the story.

Now, OKC has no right to use injuries as an excuse for its disappointing season. Per NBA.com, the Thunder’s starting lineup played the third-most games together this season. Their lineup was not inconsistent.

Still, injuries took their toll. Andre Roberson, the team’s starting shooting guard for the past four years, didn’t play a single game in the 2018-19 season due to a torn patellar tendon.

Paul George missed four of the team’s final 22 games due to a shoulder injury. When he did play in the final two months of the season, it seemed clear that he wasn’t healthy. Before the All-Star break George shot 45.3 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from 3, forcing his way into the league’s MVP discussion.

After the All-Star Break, when it became apparent that George’s shoulder was bothering him, he dropped to 40 percent from the floor and a pedestrian 33.6 percent from downtown.

If the Oklahoma City Thunder expect to be back in the Western Conference mix next season — and finish better than they did this year — they will have ensure that their players get healthy over the summer.