DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 14: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during a preseason ... [+]
After a long offseason of turnover and major change, the Oklahoma City Thunder have their first game of the 2019-20 season tonight in Utah against the Jazz. With over half of the roster being different than last season, there is much uncertainty as to how the season might turn out.
With a projected win total of just 31.5 this season, the Thunder could be looking at their worst season since the inaugural 2008-09 season. As underdogs in the season opener against Utah, Oklahoma City will look to start the season off on a positive note and change the narrative that they will have a down year. Heading into the first game of the season, what are some things you should watch for?
1. Darius Bazley’s Debut
After being drafted with the No. 23 pick in the recent 2019 NBA Draft, Darius Bazley will look to carve out his role as a starting forward in Oklahoma City for many years to come. Taking a unique path to the NBA, he skipped playing basketball in college and spent a year training with former NBA sharpshooter Mike Miller prior to the draft.
Bazley was 13th overall ESPN’s rankings for the class of 2018, putting him among the ranks of Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Darius Garland in that class. Standing at 6'9" with a 7'0" wingspan, Bazley will be an extremely interesting player on both ends of the floor.
In the preseason, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 24.5 minutes per contest. Presumably coming off of the bench in the season opener, we will get our first regular season look at the newest first round pick on the Thunder roster.
2. Point Guard Trio
With Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schroder on the roster, Oklahoma City will always have one playmaker on the floor, if not more. This will ultimately result in a faster pace of play and better ball movement than in past seasons.
Although Russell Westbrook led the NBA in assists last season, Oklahoma City rarely had great ball movement. Him and Paul George, for good reason, played a lot of isolation ball resulting in less movement overall. This season, with all of the quality point guards on the roster, the Thunder will have the chance to share the ball with one another and create good shots. Chris Paul is currently seventh all time in career assists and first among active players.
It will be interesting to see how the minutes are shared between Paul, Alexander-Walker, and Schroder. Presumably all three of these players will have to play off the ball quite a bit. At times throughout the season, we may even see Oklahoma City play small with all three of them on the floor.
3. Steven Adams on the Glass
In the first season of his career without Russell Westbrook as a teammate, Steven Adams will have a great opportunity to be one of the best rebounders in the NBA. Surprisingly, Adams has never averaged more than 9.5 rebounds per game, but has increased his production on the glass year-over-year since entering the league.
By design, Westbrook stole many rebounds that Adams could have grabbed in past seasons. This was because once Westbrook at the ball in his hands, the fast break could be initiated and the offense could get rolling. While this could happen some in the 2019-20 season as well, it is a good assumption to think Adams will could the best rebounding numbers of his career.
Not only will his rebounding have a chance to be spectacular, but also his offensive productivity. Attempting only 10.1 shots per contest last season, Adams will certainly get more opportunity to score the ball this season.
