An offseason ended with the Thunder appearing as vulnerable since the Western Conference that was top-tier teams they were assumed to have a border on.
Anthony Morrow sprained his MCL, although kevin Durant foot has been the biggest blow off. Reggie Jackson rolled an ankle, and Jeremy Lamb’s back flared up.
Injuries are part of each preseason and summer slate, plus they’re bad news for everybody. But for OKC, a team in position to take advantage of the Clippers’ improvement and the theoretical decline of San Antonio, the onrush of maladies was especially ill-timed.
The Thunder’s window is by no means closed. Entirely healthy, they’re a danger to knock off anyone. And when there aren’t any lingering effects from the current laundry list of injuries (Durant’s specifically ), they may even be favorites in the conference by the time the postseason rolls around.
At precisely the same time, Oklahoma City’s playoff positioning could hurt. Heading into the dance as a No. 4 seed leaves reaching the final round a whole lot harder. So Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and second-year breakout candidate Steven Adams must compensate for their teammates’ production.
Its own tower is more shaky than anticipated, although OKC still belongs on the contending pedestal.
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