The Oklahoma City Thunder were a young dynamic force of a team comprised of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka. They were a force that was running through teams in the Western Conference. When you watched them play, you just knew that you were watching something special.
The team seemed to have limitless potential and was destined to be consistent contenders. They had a particularly special run in 2012, beating the San Antonio Spurs on the way to an NBA Finals berth. Keep in mind that this San Antonio Spurs team went 10-0 to start their playoff journey before Oklahoma City took it down in six games. We all know what happened to Oklahoma after that with the James Harden trade and the Kevin Durant departure being dissected endlessly.
What if I told you that there is a second iteration of this team with the modern-day Memphis Grizzlies? In this past season, they finished second in the Western Conference with a total of 56 wins. While they lose in the second round, their star player was hurt during the series and their opponent was the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Similarly, Oklahoma City lost to Dallas Mavericks in 2011, who also would go on to be the champs that year.
Memphis Grizzlies might be the best young team since the iconic OKC Thunder.
While this Memphis team might not be quite as loaded with talent as those Thunder teams, they learned from the mistakes that Oklahoma City made. They have made smart contract extensions to keep their core together. They recently extended Steven Adams, for example, on a good-value contract. There isn’t one player that’s been let go that was a big factor in their recent runs.
They also tend to draft well to compensate for any decent role players like Kyle Anderson leaving. Their depth can be the balance that can keep them going if they suffer through an injury and while facing teams that may have more top talent overall.
This is something that really held Oklahoma City back in some of their runs as contenders. For instance, in Game Six of the 2014 Western Conference Finals, the OKC Thunder only had one player score off their bench. This player was an aged Derek Fisher, and he only scored five points. That’s right — the entire Thunder bench only scored five total points in a big game. I don’t see this being an issue for the Memphis Grizzlies, who won the majority of their games when Ja Morant went down with a lingering injury. They have a team that rolls ten players deep at all times.
The Memphis Grizzlies might not have multiple All-NBA level players as the OKC Thunder had, but they can compensate for that with their superior depth and coaching.
They have a chance to capitalize on something that the Oklahoma City Thunder never did and that’s bringing home an NBA title.