SnoTap NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

For the month of October, Mitch Pratt, Andrew Kasmarek and Charlie Tritschler will be previewing the NBA teams for the exciting 2013-2014 season. 

By Mitch Pratt

The Oklahoma City Thunder will begin their third full season as a legit title contender. They've come up short in their first two runs at it but this time they'll be without star guard Russell Westbrook (injury) or sharp-shooter Kevin Martin (free agent to Minnesota), and let us not forget they traded James Harden immediately prior to last year. His loss will be felt for a while.

Many pundits feel that OKC failed this offseason by not finding a competent center to replace Kendrick Perkins or a shooter off the bench to replace Martin. The Thunder appear to be adopting the Ted Thompson method and are going to be relying pretty heavily on youth to produce at a nice clip. I'm looking at you Jeremy Lamb.

Having said all that, they still have Kevin Durant so they'll be very good. I could leave it at that...but I won't.

Durant in his rookie year with the Sonics. RIP.

The X-Factor: The play of Reggie Jackson - No one knows for sure when Westbrook will be back from his knee injury so the Thunder will be relying on Jackson to lead the offense. When Westbrook went down last season, they relied on Jackson and the team fell far short of the championship they are chasing. Jackson will need to step up and be a facilitator for Durant. And if and when Westbrook does come back, will he be the same?

The Big Question: Can Steven Adams make an impact? - Perkins has pretty much become a joke around the league for his big man play. Sure, he defends the paint a bit and will put you on your back if you test him but that's about all he's good at. If Adams, the 12th overall pick in this past June's draft, can make an impact right away offensively, the Thunder will be a force. Hasheem Thabeet ain't gonna cut it.

Key Additions: None - Ryan Gomes?

Key Departures: Kevin Martin - Martin provided scoring punch for the Thunder averaging 14.0 points per game, all off the bench. The Thunder are expecting Jeremy Lamb to move into Martin's role in this his second year.

Thunder Draft: Adams, Andre Roberson, Alex Abrines, Grant Jerrett - It's pretty obvious that the Thunder are running their franchise "the right way". Collecting draft picks and developing/keeping your own guys is the way to go in a small market...ahem...Herb. Roberson's impact in year one will likely be minimal and Abrines is being stashed in his native Spain for the time being. Jerrett was traded for cash considerations on draft night.

Prediction: Not exactly brain surgery here: the Thunder will more than likely be the number one seed in the West this year. The Lakers are reeling and will somehow end up with the #1 pick (I can feel it), even though the Bucks will do their best to challenge them (they've been horrid in their first three preseason games). The Spurs are officially ageless. It's absolutely the Thunder's conference heading into the season.