Will the Thunder finally win their NBA title?

From 2009-10 till 2013-14 Oklahoma City Thunder, the newest franchise in the NBA, was a powerhouse. Although the Thunder are the relocated Seattle Supersonics and by the agreement share their history, they are technically a new team. They have made the Western Conference Finals 3 times in the last six seasons and have a  finals appearance in 2012.  The roster the team has maintained since 2009/10 has been one of the finest,  notably their trio of Kevin Durant (leading scorer in 4 of the last six seasons), Russell West Brook (Mr Triple Double with 11 in the 2014/15 season and the most recent scoring champion) and Serge Ibaka (An amazing player to have on the defense). With such a trio and an overall well balanced team, its a surprise to many that the Thunder haven’t won the title yet.

The 2014/15 Season was one to forget. An injury plauged start meant there were just 7-9 active, fit players on the roster. Durant was sidelined for most of the season with a foot injury and Westbrook for the starting parts of the season and Ibaka towards the end of the season. The bench was not effective even when fit. Mid-season, there was a wide reshuffling of the middle order with six players arriving, over the six signed before the season started. Mid-season saw four Thunder players leave as well, giving the bench a new look. Despite the heorics of the superb WestBrook, a 45-37 record saw the team finish ninth in the West (New Orleans had finished 8th with the same record but edged the Thunder on a tie-break), which given the start of the season, can actualy be termed an “achievement” of sorts.

The Thunder did not wait long to change the squad. With such a talented squad such poor results, and zero titles in seasons where they should have cruised to victory, the overhaul took no one by surprise. Scott Brooks was sacked just a weak after the regular season concluded. The man to replace him as the new coach was long time Florida Gators coach in the NCAA, Billy Donovan. In 2007, Donovan signed and then immediately quit his job as the coach of the Orlando Magic. Donovan is one of the youngest coaches to win 500 games in the NCAA and is a two time champion. When he assumed command at the helm of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he started to build a rapport with the players, getting them to adapt to his style of offence and defence while giving the freedom they need to shine individually. The players are happy with this hands on approach, especially Durant and Westbrook.

The Players were also serious with Durant hosting various early team workouts, where during a 3 day session much before the pre-season started, 11 members of the Thunder roster attended. There have not been many changes to the roster. Two bench players, Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones have been traded to the Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics respectively. The additions to the team include Luke Ridnour from Charlotte and Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue (the Thunder’s NBA D-league affiliate) . Other than that, the team is still the same, and teams which make a few changes but retain their core tend to always do well.

The preseaon has been a success for Donovan with a 5-1 record. Firstly, he has got the effective and efficient Thunder bench preforming well, but has sufficient depth to allow rotation as and when necessary. The biggest bench performer is Dion Waiters, who has been very efficient off the bench in the pre-season but is not as efficient when starting (he started one game, on a 3-12 shooting, but made 26 of his 46 shots off the bench). So its good to know the Thunder’s second unit will be a threat overall and that, while limiting the minutes of the starter unit for the regular season, they can hold their ground. The better news is the starting unit are all back to their best and healthy, the latter which will be the biggest relief for fans.  Donovan is going to provide the biggest strength in substitutions during matches, by adapting to the situation and not following a pattern of substitutions, as many coaches tend to do. This fluid style will allow the necessary adaptations.

So, The chemistry between the new coach and players is working and the Thunder are seemingly back at their best, their starters and bench. Without a doubt, they will be one of the biggest threats to the Golden State Warriors for the top seed of the West, but a top 3 seed for the Thunder should be easily attained in the regular season. They should be making the finals of the West in the playoffs, at the very least. It might be important to do so, as they need to convince Durant to stay with them. His contract expires at the end of the 2015/16 season, and 2016/17 is the start of the new mega NBA TV Deals, which means the larger cap could be used by other teams to lure Durant to them, which is something the  Thunder wish to avoid.

However, given how last season started, the Thunder are ready to fight for the top spots in the West right from the get go.