OKC Thunder Dennis Schroder (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
The OKC Thunder need help if they are to make a deep playoff run. Barring trades for shooters the young guys are the only ones who can provide it.
As I’ve written about to no end on this site, the OKC Thunder cap situation is sort of a disaster right now. They’re currently $21.8 million over the luxury tax line like they have been for the last few years which means they’re pretty much stuck with the roster they have now. On paper, that’s not the worst thing in the world. For all the hate Sam Presti gets–be it warranted or otherwise–he’s done a solid job building a roster with supposedly proven vets and decent depth.
And that roster looked good for a while there in the offseason. With the return of Andre Roberson, their starting five was shaping up to be one of the best defensive units in the league, young guards Hamidou Diallo and Deonte’ Burton were looking like legitimate steals who could make an impact on day one, and the team overall just looked like it was finally getting ready to come into their own as contenders out West.
Now that Andre Roberson is out for the foreseeable future, however, it’s forced everybody else to step up, and the results just haven’t been there for the Thunder yet. Here’s why things haven’t been clicking, and why they need their young guys to step up in order to make a run.