With the OKC Thunder finishing the regular season with 15 wins, 67 losses, you may wonder how the hell can this team get better? Its simple, and that's just let the young players develop. Going into the off season, the Thunder were hoping to land the first or 2nd picks in the 2018 draft. Neither of those happened though. So what now? Their roster consists of Rozier, Anderson, Vonleh, Clarkson, Saunders, Valentine, Bembry, and the #3 pick.
All of those players are young, with Clarkson being the oldest at 24 years old. An issue with the Thunder last season was defense, and they hope to solve that issue this off season. An idea floated around is to grab another wing defender, to place next to Anderson. Names that popped up are Trevor Ariza, Jimmy Butler, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd Gilchrist, McRae, and others.
Since they lost out on the potential All Star players at 1,2 in the draft, they will be looking to trade that pick. When scouting and evaluating the players in this draft, they found everyone including Draymond Green with a weakness. Whether that's bad defense, low di, or something else. If the Thunder keep the pick, they will choose Hassan Whiteside. But that's if they keep the pick. But everyone has a weakness and will just be solid starters in this league. Rumors are circulating around the league that the Thunder have reached an agreement with the Spurs in a three way trade that will land them Stanley Johnson jr. When talking to gm "8time", he would not comment on the subject. But its hard not to be interested in a potential 30-10 player. Sure he has a weakness and he's a little chubby, but the guy will be able to score the basketball. You just have to be excited at the possibilities that this guy will bring to any team in future. How many guys can average 30 points a game? A select few. Even if he will never be a high percentage player, he will always be able to score and rebound the ball. He even averaged 4.5 free throws a game in just 29mpg with the Blazers at only 19 years old, with 80 endurance. You surround him with the right players and he will flourish. But that's just a rumor right now, and nothing is set in concrete.
Another possibility is to go after a defensive monster at center in the off season, while bringing Vonleh off the bench at power forward, and center. The Thunder will examine their cap situation and might go after a few players. But back to the players they have now. Rozier will be a Thunder player for life. His potential 79 scoring, 78 stealing, 71 handling, 70 defense, 70+di and iq with 61 passing will ensure he will be a force to be reckoned with. You add Justin Anderson, who in his second season averaged 15ppg and 45% from three for the Thunder while playing elite defense. Clarkson has been the most talked about player in trades. The Thunder have received 5+ offers for him, and almost had a trade done. But it did not happen, and they are happy to bring him off the bench as the 6th man.
The possibility's are endless but one thing for sure is, the Thunder hope to win 30 games next season, and by 2020 be a playoff team.
