In a stacked Western Conference with the decline of the Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder pose the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors.
At the end of the 2018-19 season, the Golden State Warriors should be celebrating once again as the NBA Champions.
With the acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins and Houston’s loss of key wing players Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, the Warriors are the clear favorite. There will be other challengers in the Western Conference, but the one team that will give Golden State the toughtest test is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder had a disappointing 2017-18 season losing in the first round of the postseason to the Utah Jazz, but this team gave the Warriors problems last season. Led by Russell Westbrook and Paul George, the Thunder have two bonafide stars and they got even better this offseason.
The best thing the Thunder did in the summer was trading Carmelo Anthony away and acquiring Dennis Schroder from the Atlanta Hawks.
Anthony, who was once one of the best scorers in the NBA, has become a volume scorer and poor defensive player. The Warriors absolutely feasted on Anthony last season putting him in a ton of pick-and-rolls, driving at him relentlessly, and cutting backdoor constantly. He was unplayable at times.
The Schroder acquisition is a bit odd because the Thunder already have a clear starting point guard in Westbrook.
Schroder’s numbers were good last season, averaging almost 20 points and dishing out over six assists per game, but he is an extremely inefficient shooter like Russell Westbrook. Schroder only shot 44 percent from the field last season and an awful 29 percent from three-point range.
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What Schroder does provide to the Thunder is a solid backup point guard. The Thunder’s backup point guard last season was Raymond Felton, a player way past his prime at 34 years old and who was more inefficient than Westbrook.
Felton’s job last season was to spot up for open threes and occasionally run the offense. The only problem with this premise is that Felton was below average in both categories, hitting 35 percent from three-point range and averaging two assists per game.
Schroder is much younger at 24 and has the capability to run an offense. This would allow the Thunder to rest Westbrook more than they have in previous seasons. Westbrook is a phenomenal player, but more rest would improve his game and benefit his team at the same time.
Another thing that has Thunder fans excited about next season is the return of Andre Roberson.
Roberson tore his left patellar tendon in late January last season, causing him to miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs. This was a huge blow to the Thunder because Roberson is one of the best defenders in the game and dramatically changed the defensive gameplan.
Paul George was now in charge of guarding the opponent’s best wing player, causing him to expend more energy on defense, and the Thunder’s defense was remarkably worse without Roberson. With Roberson in the lineup the Thunder were a top-five defense, but without him they were an average defensive team.
For all the good things Roberson does on defense, he is still a liability on offense. He is one of the worst shooters in the game, shooting just 22 percent from the three-point range and an unfathomable 31 percent from the free throw line.
He shot 54 percent from the field, but the majority of those shots were layups or dunks.
If the Warriors falter in the difficult Western Conference, it will most likely occur if this Thunder team is firing on all cylinders.
Oklahoma City’s defense will improve considerably with Roberson back in the lineup and their offense will flow smoother with Westbrook and George together for a second season. Steven Adams always gives the Warriors problems, and even with the addition of Cousins he will be a handful in the paint.
Schroder will improve their bench along with an athletic Jerami Grant and sharpshooter Alex Abrines. Nerlens Noel will provide rebounding and shot-blocking and Felton can still provide that veteran presence needed on every team.
Will the Thunder upset the Warriors? It is unlikely, but they have the best shot of dethroning the champs.
Here are our scouting reports of some other possible contenders next season: