The Oklahoma City Thunder have finished their games overseas and are now headed back to the United States. The travel back will be the real start to the Thunder's preseason and it will be an important preseason for the new-look squad.
The Thunder are still trying to get all the pieces on their team clicking. They have added several new players and will be changing their style of play to match the new roster.
It is hard to overlook a team lead by Russell Westbrook, but there are still have plenty of questions they need answered before they can compete in the tough Western Conference.
Who will make an impact at small forward?
This might be the biggest question of them all for the team. The Thunder are transitioning past the Kevin Durant era. They will need to figure out who will take his starting spot and if he can be effective.
Right now it looks like Andre Roberson will be starting – but Roberson does struggle on offense. It is important that Roberson ups his offensive game and proves that he cannot be overlooked.
Anthony Morrow should also look to get more time on the court as he can nail the three ball with consistency.
Just how good is Victor Oladipo?
Newly acquired Victor Oladipo has never played with as much talent as he will on the Thunder. Now, Oladipo will be playing alongside one of the best point guards in the game. He will also get the chance to wreck havoc in the pick-in-roll game with Steven Adams and Enes Kanter.
OKC will need Oladipo to improve his three-point shooting – something that they lack desperately. If Oladipo can become a reliable 20 points and five assists per game player for the team, then it would not be crazy to see them get a top four seed in the Western Conference. A lot rests on the new guard.
Is Steven Adams who we think he is?
During the postseason Steven Adams became a standout player. Adams burst onto the scene and proved that he should be talked about as one of the top centers in the NBA.
However, Adams did not show much sign of that during the regular season.
The Thunder will not only need Adams to continue that level of play, but improve upon it. If Adams can continue to take the next step, then the trade of James Harden will look a little less terrible in retrospect. Adams' strong play could also give the Thunder the ability to trade Enes Kanter down the road.
Who is Alex Abrines?
After years of waiting, Alex Abrines has finally joined the Thunder. Abrines comes over from Spain where he got time as both a shooting guard and a small forward.
There is no doubt that Abrines has come over because he has been promised some sort of playing time for the team. The Thunder did play two preseason games in Abrines' native Spain and he averaged nine points and two rebounds in the contests. He also hit four of five three-pointers.
Abrines will be another player the Thunder need to hit from downtown consistently. If Abrines proves to be a bit worse than Roberson on defense, but a quite a bit better on offense, then bringing him over will be a success.
Is Domantas Sabonis the future of the team?
While all the talk with the Serge Ibaka trade was about getting Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis may have been the real steal. Sabonis is not only showed true potential as a key bench piece in their games in Spain, but he even found himself with starting minutes.
It should be interesting to see if Sabonis can be a big part of the team in the rest of their preseason games. For the two games he has played, he has averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
The best part about that is his 3.5 assists. Sabonis can help the Thunder go from a primarily isolation team to a team that plays “Spurs ball.” Sabonis is also showing the ability to stretch the floor for the team. He could be the steal of the draft for Sam Presti.
If the Thunder can build a future around Russell Westbrook, Domantas Sabonis, and Steven Adams then they will have a bright future. The interesting part of the Thunder is that they are going the opposite direction of the rest of the NBA. The Thunder are now putting more importance on movement and post play than they are on three-pointers.
The team will be going through an interesting transition this season and they will be a must watch.
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