Can OKC Thunder win it all this season?

Ok, enough with the pessimism. Let’s focus on the brighter side.

The Brighter Side

It’s the Durant show!

The Thunder have the league’s most prolific scorer in Durant. Yes, he did choke up against Memphis but in all fairness, he was up against the Defensive Player of The Year, Marc Gasol. And he had Gasol and Co.’s undivided attention.

Even without Westbrook, OKC still form a dangerous offensive team. And few teams have players who defend as well as Marc Gasol. Which means that Kevin Durant will probably manage to shoulder the offensive load, provided his teammates step us as well.

This season will be Durant’s most crucial one so far. He’s without his wingman and is the sole offensive spearhead. This season, we’ll know how well Durant is without Westbrook helping him. He’ll also be the one everyone looks up to, on both sides of the court and off the court.

Easy Matchups

During the initial six weeks, OKC play 23 games, who’s difficulty level ranges from comfortable to average. Out of the 23 games, they have 10 games against team’s which made it to the playoffs last season.

The first six games of the season come against clubs that were in the lottery this past June. If OKC needs a couple of weeks to test out their makeshift offense, and I’m sure they will, it’ll get that chance by opening the season against the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards.

The Other Guys

Kendrick Perkins is a physical center who’s average on both ends of the court. This is where Ibaka’s true potential lies. His vicious shot blocking skills and ability to gobble up rebounds will be a huge help for the Thunder this season too.

Thabo Sefolosha is another handy player. He’s good for 25 minutes each game to come off the bench and provide the team with some solid defence, a few points on the other end and some energy.

The Verdict

OKC’s offence will definitely miss Westbrook. But they’ll get by without him for the first 6 weeks, if Scott Brooks plans ahead. As we all know, Brooks is no good on the fly.

However, there are more crucial issues at hand. Will Westbrook ever manage to come back to his full potential? Or will he, like Derrick Rose, decide he needs an entire season to recuperate? If he does decide so, will Thunder be able to win it all?

Even without Westbrook for the first six weeks, the Thunder can still make it to the playoffs, probably as a top 4 seed. However, if Westbrook doesn’t regain his form, then Thunder’s chances look slim.