Buy stock in Oklahoma!
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the worst records in the NBA. They allow their opposition to score 103 points per game, while only scoring 97 themselves, and they’ve only won 11 of their first 48 contests to start the season. Still, with a talented young core in place, and the probable addition of a high calibre lottery selection come June, the future is bright in the Sooner state.
With an unquestioned star (Kevin Durant is phenomenal), a productive young wing in Jeff Green, and a rookie point guard who’s turning heads every time he hits the court (Russell Westbrook came to play), Oklahoma still finds themselves in contention to win the lottery and wind up with the electrifying in-state monster that is Blake Griffin.
In Griffin they’d virtually be adding Dwight Howard (yes, he’s that good) to a team with the talent and athleticism to out-run and jump every other team in the league. The sophomore big man from the University of Oklahoma is currently averaging 22.4 points, 14.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 2.5 assists per game on the season, while shooting .500 from behind the three-point arc. He’s the consensus favourite for national player of the year honours, and has Oklahoma off to a 21-1 start to the season.
The prospect of adding a player like Griffin to the athletic talent pool in Oklahoma City is almost frightening, and with the draft seeming to conveniently land their future stars in places close to home (cough, LeBron James) it’s a very real possibility.
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Even if the Oklahoma reunion doesn’t come to fruition, the Thunder are in a great position going forward. Scott Brooks seems like a solid young coach, and the addition of a player like Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, Brandon Jennings or Jordan Hill could result in a really solid rotation.
The nature of the Thunder’s roster, being built around players who can play multiple positions allows them to take the best player available, rather than drafting by position, which is commonplace when you’re not starting from scratch.
As such, the operational executives and coaching staff are free to dramatically adjust the design of their team next year, without having to worry about how it will affect the playing time of your building blocks. If Griffin joined the squad they could play him at either the four or five alongside the other three rising stars. Similarly if they land Thabeet, his 7’3″ frame will be able to anchor a defensive system with long and athletic wings who can break out and score after every stop they make.
Harden would be bringing another young athletic wing player to the Thunder. He can score, defend, run the break, play above the rim, push the ball… basically, he couldn’t find a better home than OKC. His addition would see Westbrook remain at the point, with Green and Durant playing the three and four in a college style, run and gun offense.
Brandon Jennings would change things again. The European experience has done nothing to hurt his draft stock, and he has impressed when given the minutes to show what he can do. He is a tenacious player, who packages athleticism and speed with pure point guard skills that make everyone around him better. Jennings would allow Westbrook to blossom at the two, where his scoring prowess can mature like fine wine, with Green and Durant filling out the forward positions in first class fashion.
Arizona’s Jordan Hill likely rounds out the discussion of top five picks at this point, with Al-Farouq Aminu, Greg Monroe, Earl Clark, Chase Budinger and Gerald Henderson all on the verge of contending for a spot. Hill would bring an entirely different dimension again. He’d be like adding a young Chris Bosh, who at 6’10” could be asked to play either of the four or five positions, allowing the roster even further flexibility while still adding a top-tier prospect.
The short story is, if at all possible, you should buy stock in the Oklahoma City Thunder, because while the economy may be spiralling downward into an abyss, they are going no place but up. Regardless of who they draft in June, that player’s addition to the foundation in place will be a favourable one, due to the roster flexibility associated with the new-breed of diverse players they have assembled; capable of playing two, three and sometimes even four positions.
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