The Oklahoma City Thunder has been a great franchise for many years, but time and time again, they have not been able to get it done and win the championship. Whether it was with Kevin Durant, Victor Oladipo, or Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. And the team now has a lot of questions to answer for the future.
Melo has not fit into his role
Carmelo Anthony struggled for most of the season with career lows in points and shooting percentage. The role he had to endure did not work out for him and it is clear as day that something is just not right. This is a player that had a terrific season with the New York Knicks a season ago, it paints a picture for me that tells me the Thunder is not using him right as a catch and shoot three-point shooter.
This season has left a blemish on his career and raises the questions about the potential for Anthony's future as a pro-baller.
This Melo was not the same player we are accustomed to. He passed up a lot of shots in this year's NBA playoffs. His aggressiveness, heart, and strong work ethic seemed absent. For Anthony to thrive, he needs to get the ball throughout the game as he is a streaky shooter and great at mid-range. And that is not what he did as he shot plenty of threes when he was just an okay three-point shooter to begin with.
And now he stands as a gifted offensive weapon with low playoff experience and no titles. And what makes it more ugly for the team is that Anthony can choose to stay and make a lot of money next season.
The team could get rid of him but it would take a buyout. It is clear that Melo has not relished his role and that going to the Thunder was just a big mistake for him in the first place. The team will have to ponder what to do with Carmelo Anthony in the offseason.
Paul George surely on his way out
PG13 was one of the bright spots this year, for the Thunder, as he played terrific defense all year and showed his versatility in the offseason as well.
He has easily been the best player for the team, besides Westbrook by a small margin. Paul George has expressed his desire to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the past and now nothing stands in the way of him going to L.A. It would be a good fit and destination for the star to play with the young stars on that team and if they could also recruit LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard.
Either way, George is a star in the NBA and will have to do some thinking in the offseason. The Thunder have this question left on the backburner and will wonder if Paul George will leave after a one year experiment gone south.
Questions for Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook, despite being a good player, is an overrated player. There are a lot of questions that can be thrown in Westbrooks path because he has not been able to win a championship despite having all the talent at his fingerprints, whether it was Durant, Oladipo, and now Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.
There are questions if Westbrook will ever win a championship down the line. The whole season 'the big three' have not been able to mesh and now there are many questions that the Thunder will have to answer in the offseason. And a big one is if they will ever win another championship.