Vegas Over/Under: 51.5
Fromal’s Record Projection: 52-30 The Bet: Avoid but lean over
As Kyle Wagner broke down for FiveThirtyEight, the inclusion of Paul George immediately vaulted the Oklahoma City Thunder back into contention in the Western Conference:
« The top-5 of Westbrook, George, Enes Kanter, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson are worth 53 wins all on their own. However, CARMELO thinks so little of this Thunder bench that the rest of the roster is worth -2 wins. That seat was awful this past season, but young players like Alex Abrines and Doug McDermott may improve with an extra season with the group, and this season’s first-round draft pick Terrance Ferguson has potential as a spot-up shooter on the wing, and also the team desperately wanted last year. However, with Taj Gibson likely leaving in free agency, the Thunder will be thin. But while their projection does not place the team almost at the level of the Golden State Warriors, or even the newly minted Chris Paul Houston Rockets, acquiring George should have an outsize effect on the Thunder. »
The TL;DR variant this is that even without factoring in the upside which stems from potential internal improvement, the Thunder already should’ve been expected to acquire 51 games. And that was written prior to OKC inked Patrick Patterson–a power forwards who fits perfectly with another anticipated starting pieces–into a bargain of a bargain.
Improving much beyond the 51-win benchmark is a difficult job as the Thunder attempt to weave in fresh players seamlessly. But after viewing Russell Westbrook function as a one-man show throughout his MVP-winning effort, they get to put so much more talent .
Expect huge things.
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