OKC Thunder ability to match their own historical benchmark will define future
Potentially 18 first-round picks await the OKC Thunder in the next seven drafts as Sam Presti will attempt to recreate history by matching his own benchmark.
As the OKC Thunder enter their 13th season the club is fully invested in the next phase of the franchise. Through the previous dozen seasons, the franchise experienced an unusually high success rate for such a young franchise.
Case in point, in all but two seasons the club went to the postseason. While some teams with much longer tenures have yet to reach a Conference or NBA Finals the Thunder experienced both. Some might cite that as the most fulfilling marker of this young organization.
Yet, the greatest franchise accolade might never be matched again in the history of the sport. Granted, Sam Presti will be motivated considering he was the man who created the standard and set the benchmark.
OKC Thunder will attempt to match their own historical benchmark
Over the three-year period of 2007, 2008, and 2009, executive Presti drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. While individually, each went on to become a superstar the unprecedented part of the equation was each also won the regular season, Most Valuable Player award. Durant won in 2014, Westbrook in 2017, and Harden in 2018 (with the Rockets).
Unprecedented MVP award run:
Consider the fact that this troika had a run featuring nine MVP awards including regular season, All-Star, or NBA Final hardware. Within this time segment, KD and Russ won four of the eight All-Star MVPs. Moreover, between the five-year period of 2013-14 and 2017-18, they each won a regular-season MVP.
Although Harden has yet to win an All-Star MVP this eight-year MVP award haul is stunning:
- Durant, 2019 All-Star MVP
- Durant, 2018 NBA Finals MVP
- Durant, 2017 NBA Finals MVP
- Harden, 2017-18 season MVP
- Westbrook 2016-17, season MVP
- Westbrook, 2016 All-Star MVP
- Westbrook, 2015 All-Star MVP
- Durant, 2013-14 season MVP
- Durant, 2012 All-Star MVP
Just as they were drafted in three consecutive years another coincidence is each held an MVP trophy in three successive seasons (if you count the NBA Finals MVPs that KD won in 2018 and 2019).
Stephen Curry is the one player who breaks up the triad’s dominance with his consecutive MVP wins in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Otherwise, this former OKC Thunder trio would essential own almost a decade’s worth of MVP awards.
Furthermore, this award haul fails to take into account how often each of them was in the running to win the MVP award but came up short. Durant had to contend with LeBron James while Harden has been in a dog fight with both Russ and KD along with Curry, James, and recent two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo.