Oof, this one hurt! Greg Mroz gives a quick hitting recap of the Bulls’ 127-125 loss to the OKC Thunder on Friday night, blowing a 16 point lead with 4:30 to go. Greg hits hard at the turnover problems & states why this could have been a defining moment in the season.

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Host Greg Mroz reacts & gives his thoughts on the Bulls  preseason finale win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Greg talks about what he liked, what he didn’t, the solid performance by Lauri Markkanen, what the bench might look like on opening night, and why we need to allow Wendell Carter Jr to have his growing pains as a perimeter shooter.

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Host Greg Mroz reacts & gives his thoughts on the Bulls  preseason win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Greg talks about what he liked, what he didn’t, the emergence of Patrick Williams, the early success of the backcourt, and what’s wrong with Lauri Markkanen.

SUBSCRIBE on iTunes and follow @HoopBallBulls for Bulls updates all season long!

2018-2019 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

        53-29                                     31-10                            22-19

2019-2020 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

         40-24                                     22-10                            18-14

Fun Facts for the season

-The Thunder now have a chest of assets that all franchises would salivate over as they were able to net a truckload in return for trading away their two stars, Paul George and Russell Westbrook: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul, a 2021 first round pick (via Miami), a 2021 first round pick swap (Oklahoma City has the right to swap with Houston, protected top-4), a 2022 first round pick (via Los Angeles Clippers), a 2023 first round pick swap (Oklahoma City has the right to swap with the LA Clippers), a 2023 first round pick (via Miami, protected top-14 2023-2025, if unconveyed pick becomes unprotected in 2026), a 2024 first round pick (via Houston, protected top-4), a 2024 first round pick (via Los Angeles Clippers), a 2025 first round pick swap (Oklahoma City has the right to swap with Houston, protected top-10), a 2025 first round pick swap (Oklahoma City has the right to swap with the Los Angeles Clippers), a 2026 first round pick (via Houston, protected top-4) and a 2026 first round pick (via Los Angeles Clippers)

-Only one player in the NBA was able to produce value inside the top-90 in 8/9-cat leagues while averaging less than 20 minutes per game and he was on the Thunder. Nerlens Noel was able to produce 7th/8th round per-game value despite only playing 18.4 minutes per contest due to his defensive ability and positive percentages (He averaged a combined 2.5 steals and blocks and shot .685 from the field and .765 from the free throw line). Gorgui Dieng was the next highest of those who averaged less than 20 minutes per game and he struggled to crack inside the top-150 as he was on pace to finish with 14th/13th round per-game value in 17.5 minutes per game — and he had the benefit of a run as a starter to boost his numbers.

-After three seasons in which Chris Paul was only able to play in 72 percent of his team’s regular season games, Paul only missed one game out of possible 64 contests thus far in 2019-20. This led to him becoming a draft day steal as his ADP fell right at the end of the third round according to Yahoo! (#35 overall) while he was on pace to finish with 1st/1st round value by a totals basis.

-Steven Adams struggled at times this season and we can see that the injuries he suffered affected his fantasy value. On the season, Adams was an 8th/8th round per-game value but he shined during two different healthy stints. Early on in the year, Adams struggled with a knee ailment and missed three games as a result. He seemed to recover from this injury towards the end of November and returned 5th/4th round per game value from November 29 through Jan 13. Adams then suffered a concussion and ankle sprain that set him back and forced him to miss another three games. He found his groove shortly before the season ended when he produced 6th/6th round per-game value after Feb 7. Health is essential to fantasy success.

-The future is bright for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the second year player was able to produce 5th/4th round per-game value in just his second season in the league. That is a jump of 7/8 rounds from his rookie season. Keep an eye on him as we head into next year.

-The Thunder were one of only two teams (the Bulls being the other) in the NBA to have three point guards provide value inside the top-130 and no team had three point guards finish with higher fantasy values than the Thunder trio of Gilgeous-Alexander (5th/4th) , Paul (3rd/2nd) and Dennis Schröder (7th/10th)

For a closer look at how the season has gone, be sure to check out our Season So Far series. The Thunder entry can be found right here.

Rosterable in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-Chris Paul (3rd round/2nd round)

-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (5th round/4th round)

-Danilo Gallinari (6th round/5th round)

-Nerlens Noel (8th round/7th round)

-Steven Adams (8th round/8th round)

-Dennis Schröder (7th round/10th round)

Showed flashes of fantasy value in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-N/A

Rosterable in standard points leagues

(This is Yahoo’s standard scoring system, we’ll be using them as a reference for the rankings but obviously things will be different in your league if you use a custom scoring format or play on ESPN/CBS/Fantrax)

-Chris Paul (3rd round)

-Danilo Gallinari (5th round)

-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6th round)

-Steven Adams (7th round)

-Dennis Schröder (8th round)

Flashes of value in standard points leagues:

-N/A

Predicting standard league relevant players for 2020-21 season

-Chris Paul (all formats)

-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (all formats)

-Steven Adams (all formats)

-Danilo Gallinari (all formats)

-Dennis Schröder (8-cat/points leagues)

-Nerlens Noel (8/9-cat)

Potential for standard league value for 2020-21 season

-Dennis Schröder (9-cat)

Upcoming Notable Free Agents

-Danilo Gallinari (unrestricted)

-Andre Roberson (unrestricted)

-Nerlens Noel (unrestricted)

-Mike Muscala (player option of $2.28M in 2020-21)

-Abdel Nader (team option of $1.75M in 2020-21)

-Hamidou Diallo (team option of $1.66M in 2020-21)

Key Additions

-N/A

Key Departures

-N/A

Upcoming Draft Picks

-2020 first round pick (protected top-20, 21-30 to Philadelphia; if unconveyed becomes 2022 and 2023 second round picks to Philadelphia)

-2020 first round pick (via Denver)

-2020 second round pick

-2021 first round pick (via Miami)

-2021 first round pick swap (Oklahoma City has the right to swap with Houston protected top-4)

-2021 second round pick

-2022 first round pick (protected top-14, 15-30 to Atlanta)

-2022 first round pick (via Los Angeles Clippers)

-2022 second round pick (will transfer to Philadelphia if Oklahoma City keeps their own 2020 first round pick)

Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari (both of whom were acquired, along with seven future first-round draft picks, in the offseason deals of Westbrook and George), Steven Adams, and even Dennis Schroder were likely candidates to be dealt. Many Thunder fans were questioning Billy Donovan’s fit as head coach as they embraced the roster overhaul and analysts were indicating he might be on the hot seat. There was a major key to the George trade that many people overlooked at the time of the deal: the Thunder received guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as part of the trade, coming off an All-Rookie campaign with the Clippers.

The result has been glamorous for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander has had a breakout season, Chris Paul has been a tremendous leader on his way to his tenth All-Star selection, the front office did not make a single trade at the deadline, and the Thunder sit fifth in the Western Conference standings as of the stoppage in March.

This is how it unraveled.

Un-Presti-dented Chemistry

Sam Presti did it again. Or so it seems, at this juncture. The Oklahoma City general manager has a largely phenomenal track record, and his trades of Westbrook and George seemed to be an indication that – finally – Presti was embracing a full roster rebuild moving forward. After all, he had drafted three MVPs in Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, all of whom have now departed, and playoff appearances in nine of eleven seasons in Oklahoma City.

Superstar Paul George was extended during the previous offseason, then changed course and was shipped off by request to the Clippers to join forces with Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles. The Thunder had been gutted, again. They seemed destined for a lottery selection (and, likely, a top-10 selection) after all was said and done in 2020.

The Thunder didn’t start particularly strong, finding themselves at 14-14 after 28 games, but December proved to be a key month for them. They went 11-4 during that month as part of a stretch where the Thunder rattled off 21 victories in 27 games from December 16^th to February 7^th. The three-headed monster at the point guard position is the biggest reason why. Each of Schroder (31.0 MPG), Gilgeous-Alexander (35.1 MPG), and Paul (31.5 MPG) have played high-leverage roles all season long and were particularly good during the aforementioned stretch.

The roster, which had seemed to most to be an awkwardly-balanced conglomeration of young players who were largely unintriguing in the long-term, veterans past their primes, and Nerlens Noel, a league cast-off trying to carve out a spot in the league, clicked at some point in December.

There seemed to be a chip on the shoulders of every single member of the team. Paul, who was not necessarily expected to ever suit up for the Thunder after the initial trade involving franchise icon Westbrook heading to Houston, has maintained a pedal-to-the-metal attitude from the outset. People across the NBA questioned what Paul had left in the tank and the moves Presti made in the offseason were largely viewed as a courtesy to George and Westbrook to continue their careers elsewhere, with Paul heading to the Thunder to even out Westbrook’s contract.

There were essentially zero expectations in terms of victories or playoff aspirations for the Thunder heading into the season. The team apparently took note of that and has sustained remarkable drive through the season, even if the lack of expectations has blown their record and success a bit out of proportion.

Leadership of Chris Paul

With two seasons remaining on his four-year contract he signed with Houston in 2018, which includes an eye-popping $44.2 million player option for the final season alone, Paul is a hard player to move at this point in his career. There is no possible scenario in which Paul would decline that option (it would be a terrible financial decision to do so), so the only logical option was/is to try to unload his contract at some point. Trade rumors have swirled during his whole tenure with the team, and rightly so (the Knicks showed interest very recently), but they were often accompanied by criticisms of Paul’s value in relation to the amount of money he is raking in each year. Basically, Paul did not seem likely to have anywhere near enough left in the tank to justify his yearly salary for the rest of his contract.

Paul has blown all projections out of the water, whether it be value, trade, talent or otherwise. He’s always been a bona fide leader, even going back to his tenure in New Orleans. However, in both of his most recent stops prior to the Thunder, the Clippers and the Rockets, he had significant help in that respect. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan were at his side in LA; and the Rockets were James Harden’s before Paul even arrived in Houston. On both occasions, there were legitimate championship aspirations and in both scenarios, Paul and his squads came up significantly short, year in and year out.

By last summer when Paul was dealt for Westbrook, talks of his ability to lead a team to a title and his leadership, which had always been highly coveted and earned him gigantic paychecks, was all but lost. Especially with this Thunder team.

Paul responded to the critics in a big way: leading the Thunder to the fifth spot in the Western Conference (only a game behind the Jazz for the right to host a playoff series) and being named to his tenth All Star team, regaining many the aspects of his game in the process that were so highly sought after for so long. There are even ongoing discussions with other teams who are now considering taking on Paul’s hefty price tag.

From a fantasy perspective, Paul has also largely regained his old self and has been a model of consistency. His value slots him at the beginning of the second-round of fantasy drafts, right inside the top-15. Paul greatly eclipsed his preseason ADP on both Yahoo (35) and ESPN (55), after he was taken in rounds three through five of most fantasy drafts last fall (which, at the time, seemed like a lofty expectation for return-on-investment). In the 31.5 minutes per game he has averaged in 2019-2020, Paul put up averages of 17.7 points, 6.8 dimes, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals while maintaining a pristine 49/36/90 shooting line on the season.

Paul brought an important element to the Thunder roster: the pick-and-roll with starting center Steven Adams and backup big-man Noel. All three of the Thunder’s excellent point guards (Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Schroder) flourished in this role, and Paul led the way. Among players with at least 36 games played, Noel led the league in score frequency as the roll guy on pick-and-rolls, scoring a whopping 70.7 percent of the time. Adams, who scored 65.5 percent of the time, ranks 24^th in the league in score frequency. Paul himself has a 52.2 score frequency on the pick-and-roll as the ball handler this year, good enough for seventh in the league, which tends to be a bit more challenging for guards (ball handlers), seeing that they do not have control of putting the ball in the bucket.

All in all, the addition of Paul to the Thunder has been a smashing success. Even if they don’t attain any playoff success with Paul in the fold, he has nearly managed to justify his large contract by helping the team in so many different ways, the biggest of which being the recreation of his value and potential trade packages the Thunder could receive in return for him. Paul has seemed driven from the very beginning, meshing with the never-say-die attitude and harnessing the culture the Thunder have fostered for essentially their entire tenure in Oklahoma City, dating back to their relocation from Seattle prior to the 2008 season.

SGA

This Thunder roster gelled almost instantly. One of the pressing questions from the George deal was the potential of the young stud, Gilgeous-Alexander. Later reports would surface that the Clippers were very hesitant to part with the young guard, who had just finished off a very impressive rookie season. Now it’s quite evident why the Clippers’ front office felt the way they did about SGA – he is a stud. Thus far, he has accumulated per game averages of 19.3 points (team-high), 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and, in 35.1 minutes a game, has arguably been the team’s season MVP (although that award likely goes to Paul).

The balance of young players and the veteran tutelage of fellow point guards Schroder and Paul proved to be the most fertile of environments for Gilgeous-Alexander. Undrafted two-way rookie shooting guard Luguentz Dort, who worked his way into the starting lineup as a defensive stalwart for the last 21 games the Thunder have played, also benefited greatly from the veteran guard leadership.

Gilgeous-Alexander has started all but one of the Thunder’s games and provided consistency across the board fantasy wise, ranking inside the top-50 in per-game value in 8/9 cat leagues. His ADP prior to the season sat at 73 (Yahoo) and 88 (ESPN), so the fourth-round value he has provided has been a big bonus for fantasy owners. His talent has always been undeniable and he finished his rookie campaign with the Clippers inside the top-150 in only 26.5 minutes per game. He really made an impression during the Clippers’ hard fought first-round playoff series with the Warriors in 2019, but Gilgeous-Alexander has capitalized on his opportunity to take on a vital role with his new team and learn under Paul’s wing while he’s in town.

What Happened to Ferguson and Diallo?

One of the few disappointing developments the 2019-2020 season has brought upon the Thunder is the apparent stalling of the development of 21-year-olds Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo.

Ferguson, for his part, has been a beast defending perimeter shooters in this his third season in the league. Where he doesn’t cut it is on the other end of the floor. It would be nice for the Thunder to have a scorer other than Gallinari at the forward position but Ferguson hasn’t been able to put it together on the offensive end. The aggressiveness just has not been there for him and he has not been able to shoot the 3-pointer the way he did to close out the 2019 season (.366 from deep last year).

Diallo, another raw prospect for whom the Thunder have high hopes, has been injured on multiple occasions this season. He missed a large chunk (17 games) due to a hyperextended right elbow and had to sit out nearly the entire month of December. Diallo has shown ability in the past to be a quick cutter and solid finisher around the rim but he really was not able to find his rhythm when he returned on December 31^st.

Diallo has managed per game marks of 6.1 points and 3.2 boards in 18.4 minutes over 38 total games; not exactly the type of improvement Thunder fans were hoping for. He did scrounge together a double-double on January 25^th against the T-Wolves (10 points, 10 boards) but he has yet to build the rapport with current Thunder guards that he had flashed with Westbrook during his rookie season.

The aforementioned Dort, who is still signed to his original two-way deal, came out of nowhere and has been a bright spot as far as young players on the Thunder are concerned. He took over Ferguson’s spot in the regular rotation when Ferguson left a game in mid-January (and missed eight games after that) and quickly earned starts with his prowess as an on-ball defender. Also of note, Dort (21 starts) is the only two-way player to have earned even a single start in the NBA this season.

Two Victories Over Houston

With the Thunder in the midst of a prolonged hot streak in January, there was no better time for them to face Westbrook and the Rockets – twice. The first game, which marked Westbrook’s first trip to Oklahoma City as a visitor, was on January 9^th and the Rockets received almost nothing from everyone except for Westbrook (34 points) in the second game of a back-to-back on their schedule. The Thunder won in a blowout, led by Gallinari’s 23 points and 11 rebounds, by a score of 113-92.

The second victory, this time in Houston on January 20^th, was much more of a statement win for the Thunder, believe it or not. The Thunder trailed by seven at halftime and by 16 after three quarters as the Rockets looked ready to coast to an easy win and avenge their loss from earlier in the month. The Thunder, however, had other plans. They proceeded to post a 41-spot in the fourth quarter and hold on at the end for a 112-107 win, capped off with some flair by this crafty nutmeg dribble and subsequent floater from Paul.

Don't forget this nut meg either by CP3 as they blew this game opened and spoiled Russ' return to OKC pic.twitter.com/caDnvPMS0y

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) April 2, 2020

With the season on hold, it’s almost surprising to look at the Western Conference and see the Thunder, who were all but written off before the season and facing a full roster overhaul, looking down at the Rockets, who had dealt for Westbrook with massive title hopes entering the year, by a game in the standings.

When the Thunder got caught in the offseason’s crossfire, it was expected that they’d flip what they could at this year’s deadline to rebuild around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and try to trim that tax bill down as fast as they could.

The trades of George and Russell Westbrook seemed to indicate that a full teardown was on the horizon, and the deal that sent Jerami Grant to Denver for a first-rounder only added fuel to the fire. Between the Grant trade ($9.35 million outgoing), George’s $33 million heading to LA and the Thunder taking on about $27 million in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari, the Thunder sliced almost $40 million off their expenses between salary and tax spending.

The summertime handiwork put OKC around $920,000 over the tax threshold, and given the presumed strength of the Western Conference and the obvious direction of the franchise, it seemed that big-money players like Gallinari, who is on an expiring contract, Dennis Schroder, Steven Adams and Chris Paul would all be on the block.

It was a reasonable plan, except the Thunder have proven to be a fun and competitive basketball team.

More than that, they’re essentially a playoff lock.

The Thunder are no longer in a position to be shedding salary for the sake of simply ducking the tax. If they were in 10^th or 11^th, then moving Gallinari is a no-brainer. Now, the team should be able to stomach what modest tax payments they’ll have to make after dumping tons of salary in the offseason – after the acquisition of Isaiah Roby actually brought them down to $800,000 over the line, Oklahoma City’s tax bill should clock in around $2 million.

They could very easily dip below that line at the trade deadline, but the current iteration of the team is good enough to warrant a postseason run. It’d be a great reward for a team that was stripped to its bare bones this summer, and to the fans who were expecting some lean years. Trading away any rotation player – unless it’s in a basketball move that brings back a player that can help this year – would send a terrible message.

At this point in the pro sports landscape, you can never claim that ownership has already saved enough to be content with any extra expenditures, but the Thunder have sliced and diced their way to savings while still fielding a competitive roster. The on-the-fly rebuild is one of the hardest needles to thread, and so far it looks as though the Thunder are on their way to pulling it off.

It would be a surprise if the team halted their positive momentum for the sake of a few million dollars at this point. Additionally, as other teams around the league take the hedge clippers to their own tax bills, the distribution of tax payments to non-tax teams is decreasing. Essentially, there’s less incentive to dip below the line because teams aren’t getting as much out of it as they have in years past.

The Thunder have been one of the league’s more overlooked and pleasant surprises this season, but that should also not dissuade them from their long-term plan. There’s a certain degree of unpredictability about Oklahoma City’s deadline plans, as they have desirable players, a very good player on an expiring contract, a ton of draft picks to work with and really only one seemingly untradeable salary.

If the Thunder get a great offer from a contender on someone like Gallinari, they could easily accept more futures to add to their deepening war chest of picks. They could just as plausibly find a deal that increases their financial commitment if it improves the team’s outlook going forward given what they’ve already trimmed off the bill. If the tax payment remains light this year, the Thunder can always look to shed salary in the offseason, when trades will be easier to make.

No matter what, the Thunder have options. Which path they choose to take will depend on the calls they receive, but the team has done enough financial heavy lifting and shown well enough on the court to make ducking the luxury tax more of a choice than a mandate.

We’re not talking about a significant record or something that will burn its way into the collective memory of NBA fans, or maybe even Thunder fans, but it’s an interesting way for Billy Donovan to maximize the use of some of his best players.

The trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder has seen heavy run. The Thunder fell into this roster when Paul George asked to be dealt away, and the three PGs are all among the top four on the team in terms of both minutes per game and usage. Gilgeous-Alexander is OKC’s new centerpiece, while Paul is still clearly too good to bench even if he doesn’t fit the team’s timeline and Schroder offers much-needed scoring ability on a team that has a limited group of shot-creators.

Injuries and uninspiring play from the Thunder’s collection of shooting guards and small forwards has made it easier to find time for all three, though the extent to which they’re playing and consuming touches is something that we haven’t seen frequently before.

Heading into Wednesday’s game, the three were averaging:

Chris Paul: 30.5 minutes, 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.7 threes on .456/.386/.886 (FG/3P/FT) and 21.5% usage

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 34.5 minutes, 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.5 threes on .437/.359/.779 and 25.1% usage

Dennis Schroder: 28.8 minutes, 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.4 threes on .445/.297/.765 and 27.0% usage

Nothing too groundbreaking in there in any single stat, but the burden that the team is placing on its guards is atypical.

Looking back through league records (thank you to the fine folks of Basketball Reference), since the 1977-78 season, only 18 teams have had three guards average at least 28 minutes with a usage rate of 20.0 over the course of a season.

Some of this is also a reflection of the modern game. While there are only a handful of teams to meet these admittedly arbitrary benchmarks in the past, the second time it’s ever happened for multiple teams in the same season happened in 2017-18, with the Rockets (Paul, James Harden and Eric Gordon) and Nuggets (Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Will Barton) pulling it off. Murray was at 22.8 while Harris and Barton had matching usage rates of 20.7, putting them third and tied for sixth on the team, so it’s a little bit of a different set of circumstances even though the usage met our requirements.

That trio of Rockets also made the list for last season’s efforts, making them the only group to make the list twice.

Of those 18 teams, 11 of them have been from the last 20 seasons. Seven of them have been from the last 10.

Some of the groups that made the list were generously included, as they featured midseason acquisitions who may well have cramped everyone’s style had they spent the full season with their criteria-meeting teammates; the 2008-09 Bulls (Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and acquisition John Salmons) and 2002-03 Bucks (Sam Cassell, Michael Redd and Ray Allen and Gary Payton, who were traded for one another) are in that group, as are the 1996-97 Nets who actually had five players meet the standards of our unscientific test. Kendall Gill, Kerry Kittles, Robert Pack, Sam Cassell and Jim Jackson all managed the feat while playing in New Jersey uniforms, though Jackson and Pack were traded to Dallas in the deal that brought back Cassell.

When we filter out the trios that didn’t average at least 15 points apiece, that list shrinks from 18 to eight.

Those aforementioned Rockets, Nuggets, Bulls, Bucks and Nets teams all qualified, as did the 2013-14 Clippers (Paul, J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford) and the 2006-07 Warriors (Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson). Even with this quick and dirty look at high-usage guard rotations, it’s clear that their rise has been in relative lockstep with the changes that have resulted in the modern NBA. Still, most of those teams have one true point guard and a couple of pure scorers. The Thunder are definitely not built like that.

To wit, this season we have three more teams beyond OKC – the Heat, Warriors and Nets – that could join the club, though missed games and positional alignments could mess that up.

As it stands, however, the Thunder are doing something that’s fairly unique in how they’re using their personnel. It’s not hard to understand why, given the team’s makeup, but it is still fairly unorthodox in the grand scheme of things.

It also begs the question of how this will play out as the year goes on. Gilgeous-Alexander is the only player guaranteed to be on this roster past the deadline, and as such his production should be expected to continue.

Paul and Schroder, however, could be very attractive trade targets for real contenders in a year where up to a dozen teams might think they have a shot at legitimate contention.

Who’s to say that the Thunder, who are obviously rebuilding but have the look of a semi-competitive team, decide to move out key players if the returns aren’t there? Oklahoma City sits just two games out of the final playoff spot, and a few of the teams immediately above them have plenty of questions to answer. To say nothing of leading scorer Danilo Gallinari, who should fetch a haul on the open market. CP3 and Schroder both have term left on their deals, giving OKC the option to test the trade waters again next year when they have a better idea of Gilgeous-Alexander’s strengths, weaknesses and upside.

Beyond whatever offers come their way, the Thunder’s decision should rest with the preferred developmental path of SGA. The team will have to wrestle with whether it’s more valuable for Gilgeous-Alexander to be learning the ropes from one of the era’s best point guards in Paul or for him to be getting as many minutes as he can handle as the team’s true point guard himself. This year he’s spent 84% of his minutes at shooting guard, 14% at small forward and only 2% at point guard, per Basketball Reference’s position estimates. That versatility is good, but SGA’s long-term fit should be running point.

And if Paul does last past the deadline, his minutes will surely be cut if the team fades from the playoff picture. The Thunder may be able to get the best of both worlds to some extent, though they risk running afoul of Paul if they hold him and then bench him. Again, he’s too good for the shutdown treatment as long as he’s healthy, and frankly deserves better than that as well.

Until those decisions are made, however, you can expect to keep seeing the Thunder lean on their backcourt more than any team in the league.

Oklahoma City is in a very unique spot in terms of their placement in the league hierarchy and how their current roster fits their long-term goals. What’s showing up as a statistical quirk right now could end up playing a major role in the Thunder’s future one way or another.

They may not (read: probably will not) be able to truly hang with the game’s titans, but there’s some excitement about what a full-strength Team Canada would look like.

For a variety of reasons, some valid and some much more nebulous, the Canadian squad has rarely been its best on-paper self in international competition. Players like Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson and Kelly Olynyk have almost always showed up when called upon. Khem Birch has joined those ranks in recent years, with a declaration that nobody else can sway Khem Birch’s decision making:

Khem Birch on his decision to play for Canada: “I don’t let anyone dictate my career or anything. I let Khem Birch dictate what he wants to do and Khem Birch decided to play for his country because I want to go to the Olympics.”

— Mike Ganter (@Mike_Ganter) September 4, 2019

The next wave of Canadian talent has yet to make an impression on the international stage, but it has always felt like there would be a sort of floodgate-opening moment. All it would take is one upper-tier player to show up, and others would follow. Perhaps that’s what we’re seeing now.

Jamal Murray announced his decision to play for Canada in their Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, and that was quickly followed by commitments from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Chris Boucher.

Among the other early committers are Dwight Powell, Dillon Brooks and Oshae Brissett.

It’s an encouraging step for Team Canada, who saw a decent looking list of training camp invitees dwindle quickly when actual camp opened this past summer. Some players, like Murray, Brooks and Barrett, were nursing injuries. Others, like Gilgeous-Alexander, opted to focus on the upcoming NBA season. Whatever the case, Canada’s only NBA players on the final World Cup roster were Joseph and Birch.

Other NBA names on the initial invite list that didn’t attend camp include Brandon Clarke, Trey Lyles, Nik Stauskas, Luguentz Dort, Mfiondu Kabengele, Naz Mitrou-Long and Marial Shayok. There aren’t many impact players in that bunch – it’s really only Clarke – but Canada was still forced to reach deeper in the bag for their summertime Olympic qualifier.

All of those absences contributed to the current sense of urgency, with Canada needing to win a six-team tournament to earn a place in the 2020 Olympics. They’ll need to go through Greece, the Czech Republic, Turkey, China and Uruguay. While the tournament will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, it’s far from an easy draw. And yet, the national program really has no choice but to make good on this opportunity.

Now is the time for Team Canada to push their chips to the middle. Riding the wave of the Raptors’ championship run is a must for the federation, as the entire postseason showed the sort of appetite that Canada – not just Toronto – has for hoops. Between the potential player pool and Nick Nurse at the whiteboard, this is undoubtedly the most talented group that Canada will have ever assembled, and a successful showing, which has to come in the form of an Olympic berth, would double down on the Raptors’ success. This is a major opportunity for Canada Basketball to make inroads with the nation’s youth.

At this point, there’s no reason that a nation with such a heavy NBA presence should miss out on qualifying for the Olympic games. For so long that result was because the Canadians entered every international tournament at a severe talent disadvantage. It looks like Canada’s top talents might be collectively deciding to end the drought. If they go down now, at least it will be with a real fight.

Although the final roster may not end up featuring all the players who have committed, and Andrew Wiggins’ foggy relationship with the national program continues to loom over the proceedings, Canada should be feeling cautiously optimistic. The early commitment from guys like Murray and SGA gives a huge lift to the program, and the hope is that Canada’s other top talents start to follow suit with regularity.

The Warriors’ dynasty is done, the Lakers and Clippers have added major starpower, the Rockets reunited old friends and the Jazz have finally added an elite point guard to the mix. That, and there’s plenty of young teams gunning to assert themselves, ranging from current contenders like Denver to up-and-comers like Sacramento and Dallas. Despite all the player movemnt this summer, the West reigns supreme in terms of quality and it figures to be a dogfight as teams jockey for playoff spots, let alone seeding.

True superteams may be gone for the moment but there are more than enough dynamic duos to tide us over in a season that figures to be pretty unpredictable.

Dallas Mavericks

Fifth and final starter

Delon Wright, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and Dwight Powell appear to be locked in as four of the Mavs’ starters. The versatility of that group means that Dallas can go in a couple of different directions with the last starting spot.

If Doncic ends up playing shooting guard the Mavs have a few intriguing small forward options. Justin Jackson got the nod in the team’s first preseason game, but he’s never really emerged as an impact player despite providing passable, invisible minutes. Rick Carlisle favorite Dorian Finney-Smith has held down the starting role in the past but the Mavs may want to maximize his utility as a do-it-all bench option.

If shooting guard is the open spot and Doncic starts at the three, Tim Hardaway Jr., who is recovering from another stress reaction in his left leg, might be the choice. He would also be a valuable primary scorer for a second unit, however, and might not have the defensive chops to fill a complementary 3-and-D role alongside high-usage stars as a starter. Seth Curry or Jalen Brunson could start if the Mavs want a two-PG look, and Wright’s defensive versatility would make it a workable situation.

Denver Nuggets

What’s on the table for Will Barton?

This probably isn’t what Will Barton envisioned when he signed a four-year, $53 million contract. Elevated into the starting lineup, Will The Thrill’s 2018-19 season was marred by an early injury and he was unable to find a rhythm on a well-oiled machine of a Nuggets team after returning in the midst of a tight playoff race. That injury, of course, allowed players like Malik Beasley and Torrey Craig to step up and cement themselves as real contributors, which leads us to today.

Craig is rumored to be the favorite to start at small forward and is a nice defensive fit with Denver’s four obvious starters. While the competition is still on, Barton may be used in the super-sub sixth man role that led to his big contract in the first place.

The question for Denver probably lies further in the future – with cheaper alternatives in relative abundance, the Nuggets already over the cap and set to watch Jerami Grant, Beasley, Craig, Juancho Hernangomez and Mason Plumlee hit free agency, how much can they afford to allocate to Barton? Keep an eye on his deployment throughout the exhibition slate. The Nuggets undoubtedly believe in him as a player but there are plenty of other paths for the team to take if Barton can’t recapture his old form.

Golden State Warriors

How do the Warriors reshuffle their defense?

As you might’ve heard, the Warriors will look different this season. Though D’Angelo Russell won’t be a straight replacement for Klay Thompson on offense (something we’ll dig into more closely soon), the big questions come on the defensive side of the floor.

The Klay-Russell swap is a massive downgrade there, but Golden State will also be without Kevin Durant’s endless length and Andre Iguodala’s institutional knowledge. Sacramento soured on Willie Cauley-Stein because of his defensive lapses. A team whose defensive units used to move on a string will be decidedly different this year.

Add in the potential need for Golden State to work rest into Draymond Green’s schedule, and we might see some very funky lineups over the course of the season. Keep an eye on how players like Cauley-Stein, Alfonzo McKinnie and Jacob Evans hang on defense in the preseason, otherwise we might see Steve Kerr engage in some schematic retooling.

Houston Rockets

Do the Rockets have a real bench or just situational contributors?

The Rockets continue to swing big, this time swapping Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook. Although they continue to boast one of the league’s most talented backcourt, one can’t help but wonder whether the depth problem will rear its ugly head once again.

Last season Houston dealt with a number of injuries that left them severely shorthanded in the early going, and although the Westbrook-Paul exchange should generally ensure fewer missed games, the Rockets’ bench isn’t exactly a strength.

The group of Austin Rivers, Gerald Green, Gary Clark, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyson Chandler and Nene has plenty of weak spots. Though their minutes will be limited in the postseason, can the Rockets assemble a cohesive bench unit that can get them through the regular season without leaving the starters overtaxed? It’s easy to think of scenarios where each of those bench players can play an important role, but there aren’t a ton of second-unit groups that you can throw out comfortably in any matchup. Anyone who can turn in a strong preseason might be able to distance themselves from the pack for a team that’s dying for secondary contributors.

LA Clippers

Landry Shamet’s point guard minutes

Doc Rivers has cited Landry Shamet’s past work as a lead guard when discussing the fact that Shamet will play some point guard this season. The uncertainty of Paul George’s timeline means that the Clippers will be down one of their primary ball-handlers for at least the first few games of the year, and that’s not inconsequential on a team with one true point guard.

Lou Williams can handle some of those minutes behind Patrick Beverley but he’s better suited in a scoring role. The Clippers have already been forced to get a little creative, letting rookie Terance Mann play backup point guard in training camp as well as the preseason opener. If Shamet can play a capable PG, that would certainly ease the burden on everyone else. Any value that Shamet provides beyond spacing will count as a major win.

Los Angeles Lakers

What does Dwight Howard have left?

After a nine-game campaign and dwindling on-court effectiveness in the years prior, it’s safe to declare Dwight Howard a completely unknown quantity. The Lakers seem to be going out of their way to replace JaVale McGee after a surprisingly productive season, and the Howard move and reported camp battle is the largest affront in a series of decisions.

If Howard can still play, even in a 20-minute role, and that’s a big ‘if,’ he’ll give the Lakers an athletic rim-runner that provides a big boost on the glass. That’s not inconsequential for a team that had to add the ancient Tyson Chandler last season. If he can’t, it’ll be a lot of unnecessary drama for nothing. It should be interesting to see how Howard is used, and how much he can make of his time on the floor.

Memphis Grizzlies

Can Brandon Clarke force his way in?

Ever since the draft, Brandon Clarke has been impossible to ignore. He was borderline dominant in Summer League and has continued to impress throughout training camp, and the rebuilding Grizzlies have to be overjoyed with his play so far. If there’s one dark cloud on the horizon for Clarke it’s that Memphis has two frontcourt pillars in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas locked into the starting five.

Although JV may not be a 30-minute per night player, he will start, and he will be a featured offensive player when he is on the floor. That, plus the presence of power forward types in Jae Crowder and Bruno Caboclo, will put playing time pressure on Clarke as he tries to carve out a role. That won’t be a monumental task given Clarke’s play so far and Memphis’ trajectory, but he can start to explore his ceiling quickly with a big preseason.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Robert Covington: Power Forward?

The Wolves are prepared to hand the starting shooting guard job to either Jarrett Culver or Josh Okogie, which will push everyone down a position. Barring a stunning bench demotion for Andrew Wiggins, that means we’re looking at Robert Covington opening the season as Minnesota’s starting power forward.

With the backdrop of Covington’s balky knees, it’s going to be a big challenge for a player who might need to add a little muscle to make it work in every possible matchup. Additionally, that might be suboptimal deployment for a player who has proven to be an All-NBA defender at the wing position. It’s at least a worthy experiment for a team that’s unlikely to make the playoffs while trying to find proper complements for Karl-Anthony Towns.

New Orleans Pelicans

Who loses out on the wings?

There’s an undeniable sense of excitement around the Pelicans this season as David Griffin has done his best to put together a roster that will thrive in an up-tempo attack. Though most of the attention has rightfully fallen to Zion Williamson, New Orleans is facing a bit of a logjam with all of their new acquisitions.

This is Jrue Holiday’s team, which means he’s locked into big minutes split between point guard and shooting guard. With Lonzo Ball in town, he’s likely to start at point guard, with Holiday opening games at the two. That figures to leave J.J. Redick out in the cold, unless the Pelicans opt to go super-small and move Brandon Ingram to the bench. Any way you slice it, someone who is used to starting will be forced to come off the bench. While you’re watching Zion jam on everyone, remember to keep an eye on Alvin Gentry’s rotations.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Andre Roberson

The Thunder have plenty of minutes available on the wings, which means that a healthy Roberson will have a great opportunity to reestablish himself as an elite defender. It has been over a year since he took the court thanks to a devastating injury and multiple setbacks, but his health could have a surprisingly large effect on the bottom half of the playoff bracket.

If the Thunder focus more on development than scrapping for a low playoff spot, Roberson’s presence can still help the team in a number of ways. Perhaps he plays himself into the team’s future plans, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander likely to slide back over to point guard as soon as Chris Paul leaves town (if not before). It’s possible that Roberson becomes a sought-after trade target as the arms race develops, with contenders itching to acquire a lockdown defender. Above all else, it’ll just be good to see him back on the court – it’s hard to root against someone so close to the end of an arduous road.

Phoenix Suns

Power forward battle

The Suns and a faint sense of hope: a tradition like no other. Phoenix went out and added a real point guard, as well as one of the top coaches on the market. Forward progress is being made but there remain a lot of questions to be answered about the team’s power forward rotation, and while there are a couple sensible choices there are a few options that would be Classic Suns.

In all likelihood the job will fall to either Dario Saric or Mikal Bridges. Young, talented players with versatility and upside. Perfect! With Kelly Oubre Jr. at small forward, however, it’s going to be a cramped rotation with these three, who would all benefit from extended minutes. That’s all well and good but the Suns also reached on forward Cam Johnson in the first round, and the organization may force him onto the floor to try and prove outsiders wrong. Mix in talk that newcomers Frank Kaminsky and Cheick Diallo could play some power forward as well (with Deandre Ayton and Aron Baynes consuming the entire center rotation), and it quickly becomes a mess.

Saric and Bridges need as much playing time as possible, but will they get it? And who will get the lion’s share? If Saric can take advantage of Bridges’ knee bone bruise, he can right the ship after a rocky campaign split between Philly and Minnesota.

Portland Trail Blazers

Reworking the forward rotation

The Blazers surprised pundits yet again last season, making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals despite losing Jusuf Nurkic amidst an outstanding campaign. While Portland will always carry a chip on its shoulder, it’s tough to see them authoring a repeat performance – even if Hassan Whiteside shows up on his best behavior and blossoms. Though most of the talk is centered on the improvement of other teams, the Blazers have some serious questions to answer at the forward positions.

Between Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe Harkless and Jake Layman, the Blazers will need to fill 70 minutes per game and 167 combined starts, exclusively at small forward and power forward. The addition of Kent Bazemore figures to help, though he has a mixed track record of success as a small forward. In 2015-16, he played 79% of his minutes at SF and was solid with 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 threes per game on .441 from the field and a plus-2.3 net rating.

The following year saw him take a step back with 58% of his minutes coming at SF, as he produced averages of 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 threes on .409 from the field with a minus-1.7 net rating. Bazemore has primarily been a shooting guard since, only appearing as a small forward in 4% of his minutes last season per Basketball-Reference.

The largely untested Zach Collins is expected to start at power forward, and teams will be targeting him as a perimeter defender early and often. Offensively, his .331 mark from distance falls short of Aminu’s .343 mark, and teams will probably dare him to become a volume 3-point shooter with Whiteside dominating the interior. Behind Collins and Bazemore are Rodney Hood, Mario Hezonja and Anthony Tolliver. Portland will be tested against the West’s all-world collection of small forwards and Terry Stotts might need to get creative.

Sacramento Kings

Trevor Ariza’s playing time

For the second straight season, Ariza has chosen to sign on with a team in the bottom half of the West. Last season you could make the case that he was trying to combine a big paycheck with his playing time needs, but this year looks like the beginning of a steep decline. The Kings have added a couple centers and re-signed Harrison Barnes to start at small forward, and Ariza will not be a threat to Marvin Bagley’s minutes at power forward.

Ariza has not averaged fewer than 33.9 mpg since an injury-plagued 2012-13 season, and was over 32.9 mpg in the three seasons prior to that. Unless Luke Walton shoehorns him into a rotation at the expense of younger players (which has caused rifts with Sacramento’s front office in the past), Ariza is going to have to accept a drastically diminished role. That can be a tough adjustment for a guy who can clearly still handle big minutes, as well as one who may be more of a natural fit at small forward than a higher-paid teammate. Keep an eye on how Walton juggles the forward group.

San Antonio Spurs

Poeltl Power

Jakob Poeltl’s season featured plenty of ups and downs. A training camp battle for the starting center spot didn’t go his way, and he would actually sit out three of the Spurs’ first six games, logging just 54 seconds in one of those appearances. Through the end of January Poeltl averaged 14.7 minutes per game. For a player who was thought of as the sort of cerebral hard worker that would fit the San Antonio system, it was a struggle.

Poeltl was able to gain some traction in the wake of Pau Gasol’s foot injury and subsequent release, averaging 19.7 minutes (and 1.3 blocks per game) from February onwards. Though he may always have trouble defending larger players, Poeltl has great rebounding and rim-protecting instincts and can move in space better than a lot of his peers. If he can hit the ground running this season it would be a big development for the Spurs, and it could even be his ticket to the starting lineup. Last season Poeltl averaged 3.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.2 blocks in 17.4 mpg through five preseason contests – let’s see if he can do better this time around.

Utah Jazz

Defensive drop-off?

The Jazz are undoubtedly a title contender after adding Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic to round out what was already a strong core. They’re far more dangerous offensively and now have a number of ways to topple opponents rather than grinding them down on defense and leaning on Donovan Mitchell for scoring. Although Utah will still hang its hat on defense, this offseason did bring some changes that could leave the Jazz somewhat exposed.

That largely occurs at the power forward spot, where an effective thunder and lightning combo of Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder has been replaced by Jeff Green and some miscast players. Beyond Green, the most likely candidates to see meaningful minutes at the four are Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles. Though Basketball-Reference credits Ingles with 66% of his minutes at the four spot last season, Bogdanovic and O’Neale check in at 4% and 2%, respectively. With rumors of Ingles moving to a sixth man role so Bogdanovic can start, that would put a pretty heavy burden on either the 33-year-old Green or a player who has extremely limited experience.

Quin Snyder is one of the league’s top coaches and there are few doubts that the Jazz will get it figured out, but the team’s defense might not be on autopilot this season. The preseason should be illuminating in terms of how that unit will need to adjust.