Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have as much upside as just about any team in the NBA. Following the All-Star break, they just haven’t been able to put it together. The postseason could change that.
The playoffs could bring back the Paul George that averaged over 35 per game in the 12 games leading up to the break. Without that George, the Thunder stand no chance against the NBA’s best, and they’ve proven that over the last few weeks.
Over the Thunder’s last 15 games, George has scored just over 25 points per game. Without those additional ten points per game, the Thunder have lost nine of those 15, dropping to No. 7 in a competitive Western Conference.
But, at the same time, they’ve shown flashes of the team they could be. People oftentimes forget the Thunder, with an almost identical roster, won 11 of 12 games earlier this season and were a top-four team in the West.
With Westbrook and George both captaining the Western Conference powerhouse, the Thunder will be a hard team to beat in a seven-game series. They have ball-dominant stars, an elite rim-rolling center, and several quality role players.
This team should be feared, but they’re certainly not the threat that others could be.