Roundtable Sessions: Ranking OKC Thunder in key stats categories and the 16 playoff seeds
Tamberlyn Richardson:
The funny thing is if the club adopted the heavy ball/player movement system they could perform well. Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder are each capable of posting 15-20 points nightly.
The trio of issues affects this thinking, however.
- Will CP3, Gallo, and Schroder remain on the team all season?
- How quickly will the youngsters adapt to the system?
- Will Donovan be able to balance giving the youngsters’ ample court time (and opportunity to make mistakes) and sticking with the hot hand no matter who’s hand that is?
Realistically, it will take time to implement the system anyway. Last season OKC ranked 17th offensively utilizing a heavy dose of pushing the pace or going with iso-plays for the superstars.
Staying in that range (19 -15) this season would be considered a success. Barring substantial trades I think that’s doable.
Rylan Stiles:
I would say the bottom half of the NBA. Who is going to score on this team besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul? How long will Chris Paul’s stay last? While Steven Adam‘s scoring numbers will go up, and despite nailing a 3 ball this preseason, his layups will not get the boys in blue higher than average.
Chase Beal-Sharp:
14th
Aidan E:
Around 20.
Matthew Hallet:
They will be mid-pack for offense this season. With three gifted ball handlers on the court at any given time, each with their own style, the Thunder will not be an easy team to stop.
Kevon Stewart:
15th
Tyler Barger:
Top ten