Now please hear me out before you jump to conclusions

The Thunder elected to select James Harden with the 3rd overall pick. I was shocked when i heard they passed on Rubio but after analyzing the situation more it seems like a good call. Harden will fit nicely into the vacant 2 guard spot. He is a very mature player and has a high basketball IQ. He knows how to run an offense and will be a facilitator to Durant and Westbrook. There are two keys to the Thunders success next season. The first is the maturation of Kevin Durant. He made a 5 point scoring jump from his rookie to sophmore season and will likely increase it this season. But more important than scoring will be his ability to lead his team. He must find ways to keep the Thunder in ball games until the 4th quarter where he can take over and he must keep his young players focused on winning and not the other thrills of NBA life. If Durant is able to keep his team focused and stay healthy the Thunder can potentially be a force to be reckoned with. The Second key to the Thunders season is the center position. No Knock against Krstic but he is a backup at best. They drafted B.J. Mullens who will be a good role player one day but is still too raw. If the Thunder can acquire a center who can play defense i can honestly see them slipping into the 8th seed. Centers seem like a rarity these days but one possibility is Tyson Chandler who has been in trade talks for a while. The Thunder need someone who will protect the paint and grab rebounds.

If Yao Ming was healthy i would say the Thunder have no shot at making playoffs but the Rockets are likely going to be a lottery team next year. The Suns will be decent next year but with Nash another year older and Amare confused on where he wants to be i think they have to many internal issues. Another team that will not be as formidable next year is the Jazz. All the Boozer trade talk along with the Millsap drama leaves the rest of the Jaz players uncertain of who their teamates will be next year.

PG- Westbrook- must take good shots and run the offense which he has been doing very well in summer league. MUST BE CONSISTENT.

SG- James Harden- he needs to find his role on the team and play it well. Create shots for Durant and Green.

SF- Kevin Durant- He needs to be a top 5 scorer who requires double teams and must keep his team focused.

PF- Jeff Green- Green must rebound and defend the inside well. On offense he has to make other bigs guard him on the perimeter and utilize his exceptional passing ability.

C- Krstic- With Krstic at center OKC is not a playoff team but if theycan find a defensive center they have a shot.

Look for the Thunder to move up in the standings this year and maybe possibly slip into the 8th spot if everything goes their way. Even if they do not make the playoffs they are going to be extremely fun to watch and I believe when Durants career is over he will be one of the greatest scorers of all time.

TheNBAScoop

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