OKC Thunder 2018-19 Awards Special -Predicting winners with a view to potential OKC contenders

Prior to season start the T.I. writing team predicts the major NBA Awards with hints to which OKC Thunder players could earn hardware in 2018-19 season.

Two more sleeps until the OKC Thunder officially tipoff their 2018-19 season. With a new year comes a fresh start for every team and NBA player. Pundits and oddsmakers predicted how teams with fare and who will deliver a stand out campaign worthy of collecting an award

To that end, a few Thunderous Intentions of the writers of dove in to pick our winners for the major hardware. We also picked who of the OKC Thunder is most likely to be among the contenders and who might be a surprise winner.

A new season offers a fresh start for every team and NBA player. As the Thunder line up Tuesday to witness championship rings being distributed in Oakland can OKC utilize that dynamic to funnel their energy to a win? More importantly, can it serve as the catalyst to start strong and build throughout the season? Certainly last season didn’t turn out as hoped with the OK3 never truly living up to the preseason hype.  One third of that equation is gone and a retooled Thunder roster (on paper) appears set for the challenge.

Ever the optimists, many of us see the potential for the Thunder to deliver a top notch season returning to the upper echelon of teams on the ladder.  The northwest division is chock full of talent albeit the drama in Minnesota is ruling the news cycle. But, don’t be surprised if most of these teams land on the playoff ladder. The move by the King (LeBron James) to the west has ‘Show Time’ fans lining up for Lakers tickets and east squads (especially that team north of the border) believing anything is possible again.

All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George will lead the team in what we’re projecting will be an entertaining and successful season. Can this duo push the OKC Thunder to new heights and collect some award accolades along the way? Our writing team is confident they can.

With that, our staff predicts who’ll take the major awards and how the OKC Thunder players will fare in the mix. We begin with a stellar rookie crop looking to establish themselves in the Association.