OKC Thunder: 3 takeaways from the Athletic agents poll
20 NBA agents were asked a series of questions in The Athletic with the OKC Thunder notably in the mix of responses.
Over the 12 years of the OKC Thunder franchise, the team and stars have frequently been cited in polls. That’s to be expected given Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook received the Most Valuable Player award while with the franchise and another MVP was drafted by the club (James Harden).
The yearly GM survey also typically has featured the OKC Thunder as it did this past season. In this case, however, the big offseason trades of Paul George and Russell Westbrook became the new focus of other GMs.
The reformulated Thunder squad drew interest in other areas with Chris Paul, Darius Bazley, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each getting recognized. In hindsight, looking back at the survey answers is telling. The coronavirus pandemic hadn’t hit the world yet, and everyone seemed convinced the Clippers would roll through the NBA easily winning the title. No wonder they say hindsight is 20-20.
OKC Thunder management featured prominently in agents survey
Various other polls and surveys routinely occur such as the coaches survey and the rookie survey. The Athletic conducted a new poll that features the responses of 20 agents. More than any previous survey the agents, who were afforded anonymity, offer a peek behind the curtain.
Athletic writers Ben Standig and Mike Vorkunov along with other unlisted writers compiled the responses to the two-part article. Part one can be viewed here and part two by clicking here.
While both articles are well worth investing your time into perusing there were three key takeaways that tied directly to the OKC Thunder.
Scoring Note: Points were allotted in full or half points – – a full point was administered for comments based on an individual whereas half points were allotted if the individual was grouped with others. For example, if Bradley Beal and John Wall were mentioned in the same response they would each receive a half-point.