Bleacher Report says that while the OKC Thunder are in the midst of a rebuild, a full out tank-job might not be the only proper way to go about things.
As we prepare for the 2020-21 regular season tip-off for the OKC Thunder, fans themselves are bracing for a year not expected to end with a playoff berth for the first time in five years, and only the second time in the past 12.
When it comes to this season, the idea is the team will look to develop their young players. With youthful studs such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, and Luguentz Dort, it would appear the future seems bright in terms of core talent.
However, on top of these ballers, OKC also finds themselves in possession of veterans know for their winning ways such as George Hill, Al Horford, and Trevor Ariza.
With this, it certainly begs the question: how good could this team actually wind up being?
tyuioWe saw the Thunder exceed all expectations last season, winning 44 games and nabbing the fifth seed in the process.
While the talent pool is certainly less deep than it was in 2019-20, some across the media view this current iteration of OKC as simply too good to have the same sort of “tank” that, say, the Philadelphia 76ers went through a few years back.
According to Bleacher Report, what they plan on doing this year is still not completely set in stone, with writer Grant Hughes insinuating that they are in a great position in regard to their rebuild, as they can go one of two routes:
"Even if this winds up being a throwaway year, the Thunder will have remade themselves much faster than most teams in their position. The Philadelphia 76ers lost on purpose for several seasons—just to point out what the cost of starting over used to be. It also helps that Oklahoma City doesn’t really need its own 2021 first-rounder to be way up toward the top of the lottery. The Thunder have a great shot at Houston’s top-four protected pick, plus an outside chance at another in the 20s from the Warriors.The incentive to lose isn’t as great for OKC as it would normally be for a rebuilder.Does that mean the Thunder will try to make the playoffs again after succeeding in that improbable effort with Chris Paul last year? Or will we see GM Sam Presti lean even harder into his future-focused asset accumulation?"
While some fans hope for a bottom-3 finish in the league’s standings, others would love to see the OKC thunder once again defy the odds and continue their postseason streak.
According to B/R, there has yet to be an answer released as to what the team fully plans on doing
What are you hoping will come from this season? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.