The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered through a horribly unlucky 2014-15 season when it came to injuries, but that's not going to stop them from reasserting themselves as a contending force in 2015-16. Here are three reasons why the Thunder can win the NBA title next season:
3) Newfound depth
The Thunder have been crippled by a short bench in recent years, but that won't be the case in 2015-16. Steven Adams and Dion Waiters are capable of playing starter minutes, while Mitch McGary, Nick Collison, and Kyle Singler have proven to be good contributors off the bench. Add in first-round pick Cameron Payne, and OKC has one of the deeper teams in the league.
2) Another scoring option
In past years, too much of Oklahoma City's offense ran through Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but with the re-signing of big man Enes Kanter gives them a legitimate third scoring threat in the post. Serge Ibaka is already in the fold, but he's become more of a defense-and-rebounding focused player who can contribute 15 points a game. Kanter is another guy who can take over a game offensively when KD and Westbrook are off the court, something this team has desperately needed over the past few years.
1) Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook
Say what you will about their ability to play together, no other team in the league can say that they have two of the top five or six players in the league. Durant and Westbrook are both unstoppable offensive forces, and as long as they can both stay healthy this season, OKC will make another long run to the Finals.
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