OKC Thunder factor prominently in annual GM Survey
NBA General Managers answered 49 questions in the 2018-19 annual survey which found the OKC Thunder team and players prominently featured.
General Managers may have additional NBA data and insights to pull from, but their responses to the annual survey questions isn’t much different than your typical fan. Since GMs can’t vote for their own team or players it’s highly likely OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti was among the majority who cited LeBron James to win MVP and the Warriors to three-peat.
LeBron James remains the dominant NBA player on GMs minds. As for teams, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics rank atop the Conference selections. This isn’t surprising as GMs like Vegas and many fans are going to answer these questions with a view to the perfect scenarios. That said, a few surprises arise in the responses . The conflict in Minnesota between Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns may be directly responsible for KAT’s fall from grace in one season on this survey.
As for the OKC Thunder squad, five different players get recognized by the General Managers at some point in the voting. The fact four of the eventual five starters were all recognized at some stage in the survey points to how strong the Thunder core is. Some teams failed to make any mark, so this speaks to the fact the brain trusts around the Association deem OKC as a player this season.
Depending on your personal stance the one area which might beg further investigation is Billy Donovan doesn’t factor in the voting for any of the five coaching questions nor does anyone on his staff. Should that be a concern? Or does that simply speak to the constant fluctuation of the roster. Surely, if things go south this season this narrative might return to the headlines. For the moment, let’s remain optimistic that Donovan functioning with his core unit returning will bode this season.
With that let’s dive into the high points and key takeaways looking at the top categories in the survey as well as where the OKC Thunder factor as a team and which individuals are cited among the best in specific areas.