2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Oklahoma City Thunder. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.

Oklahoma City Thunder

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2013-14

Another season, another near-miss thanks at least in part to an injury to a major player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder really found their groove on both ends in 2013-14, ranking in the top seven on both ends of the floor, and appeared the most likely challenger to the two-time defending champion Miami Heat in The Finals.

Unfortunately, a calf injury to Serge Ibaka helped put the Thunder down two games to the eventual-champion San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, and while his Game 3 return was a major boost, the Spurs machine had been allowed to gear up and simply could not be stopped.

There were major positives for OKC throughout the year, none bigger than superstar Kevin Durant being named the league's Most Valuable Player (and subsequently thanking everyone. Every. One).

Durant's turn as MVP seemed preordained, but any time a player averages 32 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists with a 63.5 true shooting percentage, it's cause for celebration, expectations be damned. 

Just as important as Durant's continued rise was Russell Westbrook's return from his 2012-13 knee injury. He suffered a setback, but returned again and ultimately found his form, averaging 26.7 points and 8.1 assists in the playoffs. In his early stead, Reggie Jackson proved himself a capable building block, too, and turned a Big Three into a Core Four. 

Now, the Thunder enter 2014-15 unwilling to accept a sixth consecutive playoff appearance that ends without a banner. It's championship or bust for Slim Reaper and the gang.  

Offseason Roundup

When you're one of the league's elite teams and your potential championship runs have ended somewhat unfairly, there's not a major incentive to overhaul the roster. Given Oklahoma City's aversion to the luxury tax, major additions weren't a realistic possibility, anyway.

Instead, the Thunder worked on the periphery, allowing Thabo Sefolosha to be replaced by internal development and the former Black Boi Pacino, Anthony Morrow, who fills a pretty major gap in the Thunder's offense: OKC excelled everywhere except in the corners, where they shot just 35.1 percent, and where Morrow shot 46.1 percent.

(Courtesy NBA.com)

The Thunder also lost Derek Fisher to a coaching job in Gotham and dealt Hasheem Thabeet to clear room under the tax, replacing the former with Sebastian Telfair and the latter with an assistant coach holding a broom.

Additions

*PF Grant Jerrett (4/$3.9M)
SG Anthony Morrow (3/$10M)
PG Sebastian Telfair (1/$915K)

*Re-signed

Departures

PG Derek Fisher (retired)
SG Thabo Sefolosha (free agency)
C Hasheem Thabeet (trade)

2014 Draft

PF Mitch McGary (1st round, 21st overall)
PF Josh Huestis (1st round, 29th overall)
PG Semaj Christon (2nd round, 55th overall)

The most interesting part of the Thunder's draft came after the event, in how they handled Huestis, a talented player out of Stanford who wasn't on many first round draft boards. As it turns out, the Thunder had a deal in place whereby Huestis will spend the coming season in the D-League, on a D-League contract, allowing the Thunder to delay his rookie contract by a season at a major cost to the player. It's shady, but apparently legal, and Huestis is on board.

McGary will play, though, and should provide some needed interior scoring and physicality off the bench. While his Michigan career was slowed by a back injury and marred by a marijuana suspension, McGary is an imposing paint presence who uses his body exceptionally well, constantly moving and banging but also flashing a deft touch and a stroke out to 18-feet.

He's also got moves:

Starting 5

• PG Russell Westbrook
• SG Reggie Jackson
• SF Kevin Durant
• PF Serge Ibaka
• C Kendrick Perkins

Breakout Player: Perry Jones III

It's make or break time for Perry Jones III, who saw his stock drop in his sophomore season at Baylor in 2012, allowing the Thunder to steal him at No. 28 in that summer's draft. The gamble was worth it, even if Jones' numbers were somewhat pedestrian, as he's a 6-foot-11 forward who has shown flashes of being able to guard positions two through five. 

Still just 23, Jones has a real opportunity to carve out a role as coach Scott Brooks' utilityman on the defensive end. That will require him to further hone one important skill, though: three-point shooting.

Jones actually stroked the three-ball well last season, hitting at a 36.1 percent clip, but he isn't yet reliable enough to justify more than a touch a game. He had the 21st-lowest usage rate among all players who played 700 minutes last season, averaging just 3.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 12.3 minutes.

While a good deal of his low usage is due to the team having two ultra-high-usage stars, he'll need to prove a reliable threat to earn a few more looks and, if he can do that, more run for his defense. He may not break out for fantasy teams, but his defensive versatility should see him earn the biggest minutes - and impact - jump on the roster.

Season Expectations

Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka are still just 25 and Jackson is 24. It's far too early to call the five-year playoff run a failure, even if the last three seasons have ended in relative disappointment. The Thunder are returning that same core, which alone would be enough to make them a favorite to contend for the Western Conference crown. 

Consider the fact that their four best players remain on the upward part of the development curve, they'll enter the season healthy (save for a groin tweak to Perkins, which may be a good thing), and the depth will be improved with Morrow and McGary - plus further growth from Jeremy Lamb, Steven Adams, Perry Jones, and Andre Roberson - and, well, any 2013-14 post-mortem on the Thunder looks premature.

The Spurs will be the favorites until they're not, but with the reigning MVP, three high-caliber supporting players, and a host of moderate-upside young fliers, the Thunder are 1B. Scott Brooks better hope he can lead them to the promised land, because he has some vocal detractors and the buzzards could start circling soon, fair or not.

1 to Follow on Social Media

With a new Twitter handle, a firm grasp on how to curate hilarious content via retweets, and an adorable two-year-old son to have his back on Instagram, "Mr. Rise and Grind" Anthony Morrow should quickly endear himself to Thunder fans online.

CAPTION: Caught him on his lil phone with his shorty lol