2. Oklahoma City Thunder – 21 wins: OVER
Okay, I get it. The Thunder lost Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams this offseason. They certainly will not be competing for an NBA title, let alone a playoff spot in the brutally tough West. But only 21 wins? That’s way too low for my liking.
The Thunder may have lost three of their four best players in the offseason, but the one they kept was pretty darn good in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’ll have his first crack as the No. 1 guy and will certainly go through some growing pains.
However, Oklahoma City’s projected starting lineup will be Gilgeous-Alexander, George Hill, Lou Dort, Darius Bazley (I like his game a lot), and five-time all-star Al Horford, with Trevor Ariza, and Justin Jackson rounding out the rest of their rotation. That lineup won’t scare good teams like the Lakers, but you can’t tell me that’s one of the worst rotations in the league.
OKC will have one of the toughest first-half schedules of all teams in the NBA, but 19 of those 37 games will be at home. And a quick reminder: Western Conference teams still play Eastern Conference teams. I think OKC will likely pad their standings beating up on those horrid Eastern Conference teams (New York, Washington, Cleveland, Detroit – I’m looking at you!).
I’m a big believer in Gilgeous-Alexander, a rising young star that’ll be tough for anyone in the league to guard. OKC won’t make the playoffs, but don’t be surprised if they win more than 28 games.