OKC Thunder season preview roundtable Q9: Who is your x-factor?

T.I. counts down to the OKC Thunder 2018-19 tip via a preseason roundtable.  We shift to x-factors and which specific player you are most excited to see.

Question 9:

We discussed what specifically you were most excited about this season in question one. Let’s dive in to which particular player on the OKC Thunder you are most looking forward to seeing this season and which player is your x-factor?

Lawrence George – @geola388

I can’t wait for Patrick Patterson bounce back year.

X-Factor is definitely Schroder. His game will be amazing and the Thunder haven’t had a legit bench scorer since the departure of Reggie Jackson. With his ability to see the floor and score the ball, he will decide the outcomes of many games.

Tamberlyn Richardson – @TTOTambz

As I wrote this question I was laughing because I’m excited about so many aspects of the roster this season. How will all the new players integrate? Can Nerlens Noel and Dennis Schroder shake off preconceived bad boy reputations to become consistent team contributors. Patrick Patterson arrived to camp in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in. Paul George had a slew of offseason procedures to get his body right for season start. Russ needs to prove (or re-prove) he can play off ball.

Yet, the one player I’m most excited to see is Steven Adams. Every year he comes back having improved. His name is never included among the top centers and it should be. All the things he does off the ball simply aren’t given enough credit. Go back to the first round series versus Utah and the games where Adams played well OKC won. Problem was he was exhausted having to play far too many minutes last year, plus he limped into the postseason. With Grant and Noel both available to give him true rest I think this could be the season Adams takes a big step. It might not be recognized until the playoffs when the rest time he accumulates all season allows him to absolutely dominate the opposing center.

As for x-factor I’m very big on both Hamidou Diallo and Deonte Burton. Circumstances might not play out for either to get consistent minutes. Still, remember this mid season when one of them are the reason the Thunder wins an important game(s) against a western foe and one of these two are the player who pushes them over the top.

Gideon Lim – @GideonLim_NBA

I got my eyes on PG, first and foremost. We all know what Russ is going to bring to the table; PG is the gamechanger. I put Patrick Patterson as my x-factor. There’s nothing shiny about him, but if he clicks – shooting, defense and leadership – the Thunder jump to 3rd in the Western Conference.

Dylan Huntzinger – @ThunderChats

I’m excited to see Nerlens against the backup centers of the league. He is a force in the paint on defense, and also has quick hands able to force steals. He is a solid pick-and-roll player, great at finishing lobs, has a surprisingly smooth mid-range jumper, and in a deceptively good passer for his position. Couple that with the fact it softens the blow of having Adams on the bench in foul trouble and Nerlens Noel could be a real game changer for OKC.

Reid Belew – @UpJimbo

I’m most looking forward to watching Adams. I think he’s poised to be a 15 point, 10 rebound guy in addition to all his intangibles. He’s a special player. I’d love to see his offensive rebounds per game continue to climb.

Jordan Buckamneer – @jbuckamneer

To anyone who is more excited to watch someone other than the man who averaged a triple-double in back-to-back seasons, I’m sorry, but I respectfully disagree. Oklahoma City is Westbrook’s world and we’re all just living in it. We know Westbrook will, at the very least, come close to repeating that historic feat.

As far as more under-the-radar players, I have to say Jerami Grant will be the X-Factor. Grant is incredibly versatile and defends three or more positions at an elite level. He’s also improve offensively, which is just icing on the cake. He’s going to run some with the starters and some with the bench. He’s going to defend the perimeter and he’s going to defend the post. He’s the type of glue guy needed to make championship runs.

Amy Li – @realkimchiwitch

Always it’s Andre Roberson defending the best players on opposing teams, hopefully he earns more recognition this year. Patrick Patterson is definitely my X Factor. I see him coming off injury to show he’s still got it, throwing in some memorable dunks, and boosting the Thunder at the three.

Alex Roig – @AlexRoig_NTTB

I’m looking forward to watching a healthy Paul George who knows he is the 1A or 1B option. My X-Factor isn’t a person, but a thing. Free throw shooting. It used to be one of the Thunder’s strength, but last season it quickly transformed into one of their hindrances.

Austin Sternlicht – @The_Sternlicht

I don’t know how much he’s going to play but Hami Diallo really intrigues me. Like Noel, there’s a reason he was such a highly touted high-school project. If he can learn to shoot, he’ll be a great steal.

My X Factor now has to be Roberson’s health. If he misses more than two months, it could derail the whole season.

Stephen Dolan – @SteveThunderfan

Russ. I’m looking most forward to seeing Russ. It’s always Russ. It will always be Russ.

For my X-Factor, Schröder and Patterson immediately come to mind, but I suspect they’ll have been covered. Sam Presti took a “throws at the dart board” approach to this off-season, compiling a yahtzee’s-worth of young wings, and gambling that one will work out. I think the X-Factor will come from that group, and my money’s on Alex Abrines.

Asad Ali Jamal – @SuperCyrax98

That’s hard. My favorite player is Russ, so of course I’m excited to see him in action, yet I think I’m more excited to see Hamidou Diallo as he shocked me during preseason. I already knew he was drafted much too late in the draft, but he is showcasing some very real potential so far. I wouldn’t mind if Billy Donovan gave him the start at shooting guard over Ferguson.

Alex Mcewen – @eflame_717

Prior to his setback, the player was Andre Roberson, hands down. At this point, it is not guaranteed Dre will even play this season. Therefore, I pick Hamidou Diallo, Diallo passed the eye test during Summer League and preseason play, the real test will begin on October 16, it will be intriguing to see how Diallo performs on the final 82 game exam.

Oklahoma City’s X-factor is probably Patrick Patterson. Pat underperformed in 2017-18 for multiple reasons. The two biggest being, he wanted to start, because he was offered the opportunity when he signed and more importantly his knee was unhealthy from the start.

Putting those two factors aside, one eye-opening Pat stat is, his touch time last season was 1.32 seconds per touch. The second lowest on the Thunder, only Roberson touched the ball for a shorter period of time when he caught it.

If Donovan puts Pat in the proper positions, he should perform much better this season, bouncing back from an unsatisfying first season in a Thunder uniform.

Rylan Stiles – @Rylan_Stiles

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Jerami Grant is a guy I am really looking forward to seeing. Fresh off a new contract, there are a few things needing answered this year. The first being, was last year a fluke? And if it was not, can he still improve?

The X-factor for the OKC Thunder might just be Nerlens Noel. The center out of Kentucky looks promising. A like the back up point guard has alluded the Thunder, in recent years they have missed having a true back up big man. Especially a year ago. Nerlens looks good on the court, and is saying the right things off it. Hopefully, the Media Room Hot Dog stand is locked up during games. If Noel keeps his head on straight he will play a key role this year.

Tailor Finney – @taaayy3

I must admit, I was a fan girl for TFerg last season and I am excited to see what he has done with a year’s experience now in the NBA. He’s young so obviously he is going to make mistakes, but he is gutsy and has that Westbrookian passion. For the sake of not being typical, I would say Steven Adams will be this season’s X-Factor. The guy’s got such a classy aggression. Yeah, we can score a lot of points, but his defense is what is going to win us games.

This wraps up question nine from the roundtable. Question 10 and a bonus question will run tomorrow as the OKC Thunder 2018-19 season arrives. Let’s go OKC – Thunder Up!