19. Oklahoma City Thunder
Projected Starting Frontcourt: Ersan Ilysova/ Kyle Singler, Enes Kanter, Steven Adams
The loss of Kevin Durant is obvious. Losing a former NBA MVP drops you pretty far down the rankings. The loss of Serge Ibaka is more significant than people might believe. The trio of Durant, Ibaka and Adams strived together and made it very difficult of the Warriors before falling in seven games.
The new look frontcourt will take some time and patience for fans. Ilysova or Singler are clearly not Durant, but they can shoot so there’s that. The interesting duo of Kanter and Adams playing together will be quite the experiment. Kanter has fantastic offensive ability and should capitalize on his 12.6 PPG from a season ago.
His defense is atrocious and at times was such a liability that his production on the offensive end wasn’t worth what he provided on the opposite end. Adams is developing offensively and is a versatile defender who can expand out to the three-point line. This new look Thunder frontcourt will be a work in progress, but can get the job done.
Next: No. 18