Hoops Habit
Fansided

Oklahoma City Thunder: 2019-20 NBA season preview

By Jacob Kniffen

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - SEPTEMBER 30: Steven Adams #12, Dennis Schroder #17, Chris Paul #3, Head Coach Billy Donovan, Danilo Gallinari #8, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder pose for a portrait during media day on September 30, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - SEPTEMBER 30: Steven Adams #12, Dennis Schroder #17, Chris Paul #3, Head Coach Billy Donovan, Danilo Gallinari #8, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder pose for a portrait during media day on September 30, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
Oklahoma City Thunder
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Best case scenario

Oklahoma City can trade away some of their veteran players who aren’t in their long-term plans like Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari, collect more young players and assets and allow the young guys to develop.

It’s actually in the Thunder’s best interest to play well on the court and see players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Terrance Ferguson and Darius Bazley develop while still missing the playoffs. While a playoff experience would be nice for the youth of the team, falling just outside the top eight in the conference gets the team a draft pick in the lottery with a chance — based on the drop of some ping-pong balls — at a top-three pick.

If Oklahoma City can see growth from their youth, have a relatively successful season on the court and somehow manage to conjure enough luck to win the NBA Draft Lottery it would be a full-on best-case scenario.

Worst case scenario

The worst-case scenario for the Oklahoma City Thunder is having a lack of growth from the young players on the team. That can stem from those players struggling to get better on their own or from a diminished role due to too many veterans on the team who earn minutes above them.

Keeping a player like Gallinari on the roster for the full season — likely due to injury — would harm Oklahoma City in multiple ways. While the Italian sharpshooter is undoubtedly a great NBA player, he is in the final year of his contract and provides no value to a rebuilding team. By trading him away the Thunder receive assets in return as well as open up playing time for someone like Bazley.

Having all of the team’s veterans around for the entire year would also mean that the Thunder would — hypothetically — win more games, thus getting them worse odds in the NBA Draft Lottery or earning a playoff spot and getting out of the lottery altogether.

No team would ever be upset about earning a spot in the playoffs, but this current iteration of the Oklahoma City Thunder doesn’t have a realistic chance to compete for a title, meaning that short term, moderate success isn’t attractive.

Home/Oklahoma City Thunder