Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Odds – NBA Basketball Futures – Gambling Picks
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Oklahoma City Thunder
Sportsbook.com Thunder Odds to win NBA title – 14/1
Key players added – Morris Peterson, Cole Aldrich
Key players lost – Etan Thomas, Mustafa Shakur
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder enjoyed their official NBA coming out party last season, winning 50 games and making the playoffs. Of course, even 50 wins was only good enough for the eighth seed in the competitive Western Conference, so this team can’t rest on its laurels and assume more good times are coming. But with such a strong core of young talent in the fold, it’s hard not to get excited about the team’s vast potential.
Last year’s team returns completely intact. Durant was an absolute beast, leading OKC in points (30.1 per game) and rebounding (7.6 per game). The budding superstar is also coming off a fantastic effort at this year’s World Championships, and it’s entirely possible he’s ready to move into Kobe Bryant/Dwyane Wade/LeBron James territory.
There’s no shortage of talent surrounding Durant, either. Russell Westbrook really came into his own last season. The third-year point guard posted 16.1 points per game in 2009-10 but, more importantly, improved as a distributor, finishing with eight assists per evening. Forward Jeff Green returns after another solid campaign; he’s not going to be a dominating force on the court, but he doesn’t need to with Durant and Westbrook carrying the load.
Center Nenad Kristic and guard James Harden should hold down the other two starting spots. It’d be nice to get a little more out of Kristic, in particular, as he hauled in just five rebounds per game; you’d certainly like a little more production out of your starting center.
If Kristic doesn’t improve, rookie Cole Aldrich could find himself in the mix. The former Kansas Jayhawk 9.8 rebounds per game last year and 11.1 the year before. Despite not having a single stand-out player on the glass, the Thunder ranked third in rebounding last season.
A very sneaky signing by Oklahoma City is swingman Morris Peterson. Peterson’s best days are behind him—he hasn’t averaged more than 8.9 points per game since 2005-06—but he’s a reliable back up who has taken some big shots in big games (well… as big as they ever got in Toronto). “MoPete” will provide a good, steady leadership presence in the locker room for a young team trying to break through in the West.
Obviously, the Thunder aren’t going to enjoy another 27-game improvement, but they should be better in 2010-11 simply through natural progression. Durant’s improvement should be enough alone, but Westbrook and Green should be better as well. Oklahoma City isn’t a legitimate championship contender yet, but last year was just the first in a long string of playoff appearances.
Surprising stat: OKC was better on defense (11th) than offense (14th).
Strengths: A wealth of young talent—Durant and Co. have nowhere to go but up.
Weaknesses: A wealth of young talent—these guys are too green to compete with the West’s elite powerhouses… yet.
Playoffs? 75-80 percent. Unless Durant is hurt, the Thunder will be there.
Win total projection for 2010-11: 53 games.
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