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Thursday 23 July 2020 09:11, UK
The Oklahoma City Thunder, powered by the play of guards Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, have the potential to ‘do some damage’ in the NBA playoffs, says Ovie Soko.
In trading away twin superstars Paul George and Russell Westbrook 12 months ago, the Thunder built a huge cache of future first-round draft picks (15 in total), but their short-term future appeared bleak.
However, led by the veteran Paul, OKC have exceeded expectations and head into the resumption of the NBA season with a 40-24 record and a guaranteed Western Conference playoff spot.
Soko believes the Thunder can take another step forward in the postseason and praised the team's culture, something he feels has enabled veteran guard Paul, sixth man Schroder and breakout star Gilgeous-Alexander to thrive.
"(OKC) have allowed a veteran (Paul) to be a veteran," he said. "They have allowed Schroder to play a huge role, and he has shown so much maturity in being able to play that role off the bench, being the anchor of their second unit.
"Gilgeous-Alexander has been terrific and has grown alongside (Paul and Schroder) and they have allowed him to grow. All three have needed each other and that has made for a very strong backcourt. That (attitude) has extended to the rest of the team.
"I always speak about winning culture and I think OKC are working on something really special. I like the direction of their team culture.
"For CP3, what this has done for him and his career has been huge. It has allowed him to prove a lot of people wrong. I didn't see it coming. I might have written him off a little bit. But he has been great and I think OKC could be one of the dark horses to some damage (in the playoffs)."
Fellow Heatcheck guest BJ Armstrong agreed with Soko's take.
"We didn't know what to expect from the Thunder at the start of the season but give them credit, they have three really terrific guards and are getting great play from that position," said the three-time NBA champion.
"(I think) that bodes well for OKC in the bubble. They are gaining confidence, they take care of the ball and they can play the game at a really high level for 48 minutes because they'll always have one, two, or in some cases, all three of those guards out there on the floor. They also have 'Gallo' (Danil Gallinari) who can play stretch four. I like this team and I like their future and the potential that they have.
"One guy I think they will miss is Troy Weaver (their former vice president of basketball operations who left the team after 12 years to become general manager of the Detroit Pistons) who did an exceptional job of drafting players. But overall, I think they are positioned really well for now and for the future.
"You have to give (Thunder general manager) Sam Presti a lot of credit for where they are at. Now they have to figure out how to move forward and (ultimately contend to) become champions."
