Annual GM survey features former and current OKC Thunder players and recognizes Sam Presti’s offseason moves
Well – T.I. thought this spot would be dedicated to reviewing the opening OKC Thunder match of the 2020-21 campaign. However, the game was postponed because the Houston Rockets didn’t have eight healthy players available to play.
Oddly, the Thunder always seems to be in the mix when it comes to issues related to the coronavirus. Last season the Thunder were set to play the Jazz when the game was postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test by Rudy Gobert and later that evening the league announced they would temporarily suspend the season.
So, instead of three takeaways from the opening match, we’ll pivot and take this opportunity to dive into the 2020 GM survey. The annual poll offers feedback from the front office executives on a variety of topics.
While the Thunder have frequently been in the mix of teams/players featured in the poll, in prior seasons it had more to do with the club’s superstar’s potential to win MVP or how the team would be among the elite in the West.
This season the Thunder are prominently featured as are many former members of the club. Let’s take a look at what the GMs had to say about the OKC Thunder.
OKC Thunder prominently featured in the annual GM survey:
This is the 19th year the GMs have answered a series of questions focusing on their opinion of the top players, teams, coaches, rookies, and actions made by franchises. The poll is often predictable with the majority taking the easy route. For example, it’s not surprising most taped the Lakers to repeat, cited LeBron James in copious categories, or picked Giannis Antetokounmpo to three-peat as MVP.
What is new and fresh are selections on rookies, offseason moves, and the appearance of rising star Luka Doncic who is sure to find himself mentioned in many more of these surveys.
Even though the survey is anonymous, it does beg the question if all the responses are their true feelings or if the GMs don’t want to raise any red flags on a specific player or subject. It’s probably a little bit of both.