Final Thought
Winning is a fantastic deodorant to mask any flaws a team may have. Sure, Oklahoma City is performing consistently and winning games but ultimately, its July that really matters. A maiden Championship is the goal and the Thunder have a four year window to get it down while its core is in their primes. Simply put the Thunder want to win now.
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
The Thunder have an obvious flaw in its perimeter shooting and it extends further than not making shots. Only four players on this roster have shown an ability to hit consistent jumpers from beyond the arc.
With a roster comprised of so many non-shooters or willing but inconsistent shooters, OKC’s ceiling is capped at being a great defensive team and a solid offensive squad. Oklahoma City must acquire shooting and in order to get quality players must sacrifice some of its future to do so.
Should teams call and make offers for any of the aforementioned shooters, they will be moved by the trade deadline. The Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat are in flux as we speak and looking to make deals to move veterans, get younger and prepare for the future.
As I have alluded to earlier in the piece, giving up a 20 year old prospect in Ferguson is difficult but the emergence of other wings on the Thunder roster have made him expendable. Diallo (second round pick) and Burton (Korean League) have ascended as diamonds in the rough while Abrines and TLC have been solid in their respective roles.
One thing is for certain – OKC needs a proven shooter to provide more spacing for PG13 and Westbrook to operate. If they are able to acquire one of the shooters above, its a positive step toward the franchise achieving its first NBA championship.