OKC Thunder: The 5 early signs the team’s goal of tanking is working

A step by step measuring stick to determine how successful the OKC Thunder are in achieving their goal of tanking for the top draft pick.

Welcome to the opening day of the 2020-21 NBA season. The OKC Thunder will begin their campaign tomorrow in Houston and in their 13th season have a very different objective in mind.

Thunder Nation has a dozen years to their credit and of those, they got to the playoffs in all but two seasons. The missing years were the inaugural season and the year Kevin Durant suffered a Jone’s fracture. And, even in that season the Thunder tied the eighth-place team and finished ninth.

However, this year has a very different goal as the franchise will attempt to do something they’ve never even considered in a dozen seasons — to lose! While the club will look to grow and improve the youngsters who’ll be with the franchise long term there is one overriding objective this season and that is to TANK — even if no one will say it out loud.

In terms of timing if a club was going to handpick a season to punch the reset button this is the perfect window given the strength of this draft class. Moreover, the fact high school players will be eligible to be drafted in the next year or two makes being a lottery team more desirable now than the past few seasons.

In addition, the parity across teams may be at it’s highest level ever. For example, the OKC Thunder is the only team in the West analysts are willing to claim will be lottery-bound. That doesn’t mean the club is guaranteed that top bingo ball particularly with teams like the Pistons and Knicks looking equally invested in the tank.

OKC Thunder tank litmus test measurement

As for the word (tank) over the years teams who were clearly involved in what is known as ‘the tank’ have tried their best to frame it with a different perspective. Perhaps because the word ‘tank’ has such a negative connotation to it.

Above all, it’s important to note tanking does NOT mean the team won’t still look to develop and grow their existing talents (see slide five). What it does mean is the franchise will endeavor to nab the top draft pick in this summer’s draft class.

During the Sam Hinkie days in Philly, the 76ers were embroiled in years of ‘the process’. Similarly, Sam Presti seems to want no part of claiming “the tank” in OKC. His media day presser reiterated one word over and over — ‘resiliency’.  Here’s the thing – the ‘Resiliency era’ is a gift-wrapped version of saying another ‘R’ word — REBUILD or yes — the word everyone is avoiding ‘TANK’.

In fact, ‘the Process’ was so blatant in its efforts the league was forced to revamp the lottery process and now three teams get an equal shot at claiming the top prize (with each getting an equal 14 percent opportunity).

With that thought in mind, the following serves up a measuring stick for Thunder Nation to decipher how successful the Thunder are in their endeavor this season toward — um — resiliency — oh heck let’s just own it — for the OKC Thunder to TANK!