Oklahoma City Thunder

Views from OKC: What Team Will Show Up Against Lakers Tonight?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Welcome to Views from OKC, Thunderous Intentions daily roundup of the best Thunder stories across the web.

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Three game road trip starts tonight

“But we don’t know how the rest of the roster will perform. In a four-game stretch, Victor Oladipo shot 33 percent, 67 percent, 24 percent, and 67 percent. He’s topped five rebounds in a game only twice. The inconsistency throughout the roster is infuriating. But, like I said, this is the world we live in now.”

Here’s the thing with the Thunder being inconsistent this season. They always have played that way, just now they are without [REDACTED]. Seriously though. This was the team that won three straight against a team that went 73-9 in the regular season. And than lost three in a row. So this inconsistency is not something new for OKC, it’s just more prevalent with [REDACTED] gone.

Nov 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a play against the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Forbes takes a look at the Thunder

“Then, free agency happened and everything changed. The team’s star player left for the very team that beat the Thunder in the playoffs and, combined with some draft night moves, the roster was turned almost entirely on its head. Oklahoma City is still a good team, but a far cry from what it was for several years before.”

The big thing with this article is that it points out the nice cap situation the Thunder are in. They are six million dollars under the cap, and have their three best players locked up with long-term deals. The next step is going to be adding one more superstar, but where they are in the cap they may be able to avoid the luxury tax.

More from Thunderous Intentions

Three players who have to make a jump this season

“The team has cooled down considerably following a hot 6-1 start to the season, as it sits sixth in the Western Conference with an 8-6 record. The Thunder have signature victories against two conference rivals—the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets—but most wins have been (too) hard-fought.”

This is a pretty stereotypical article, but it does a great job of highlighting Oladipo, Adams and Kanter’s impact/where they could do better. Oladipo has played amazing basketball the last three games and that has to continue, especially if he adds as much to the bench unit as the stats say. Tonight should be a good night for him to continue his success.

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