俄克拉荷马城雷霆队在2020-21赛季的NBA赛季没有取得太大成功。在此之前的五个赛季以及过去十一年中的十次季后赛中，球队都取得了22胜50负的战绩，因为他们更关注年轻球员的发展。毫无疑问，球队的领导者是后卫沙伊·吉尔乔斯·亚历山大（Shai Gilgeous Alexander），他度过了令人惊叹的一年，但他不是唯一的贡献者。塞尔维亚前锋阿列克塞伊·博库塞夫斯基打了几场精彩的比赛，大二学生达里乌斯·巴兹利也度过了美好的一年。
根据雷霆队目前的表现，未来两年似乎仍将专注于重建球队。前厅部为未来积累了很多资产，但这并不意味着这支球队不会全力以赴进入季后赛。然而，要做到这一点，花名册上的每一个人都需要付出更多的努力和稳步的改进。
尽管所有人的目光都将继续关注吉尔吉斯·亚历山大和他的进一步发展，但这个阵容中有几个部分可以做出重大贡献。本赛季的重点显然是培养年轻球员，雷霆队有一个可以以卢根茨·多特的形式向前迈出重要一步的球员。
一年前，这位加拿大前锋在NBA泡沫中不知从何而来。在场均不到7分的情况下，多特在季后赛中爆发了几场精彩的比赛，这给了他一个机会在这个阵容中真正赢得上场时间。当上个赛季开始的时候，当雷霆教练组很明显会给球队中的年轻人更多的时间时，多特完美地利用了这个机会。
这位前锋从场均不到23分钟发展到场均近30分钟，并且很好地利用了时间。他将每场得分提高到14分，尽管效率仍然是个问题。他的投篮命中率为38.7/34.3/74.4，这并不理想，但这只意味着他还有很大的提升空间。
很明显，他在进攻上被推到了第二选择的位置，这是可以理解的，因为多特是球队中第二好的球员。然而，这似乎并不总是适合他，但他可以在今年夏天和季前赛中继续努力。如果他能提高自己的工作效率，并适应教练马克·戴格内奥特（Mark Daigneault）明确希望他扮演的角色，多特可以大踏步，进一步激发俄克拉何马城的乐观情绪。
除了多特，阿列克塞伊·波库舍夫斯基是俄克拉荷马城另一位有前途的年轻人。上个赛季他没有太多的数据，但这是可以理解的，因为他只是一名新秀，然后他在34.1/28.0/73.8的投篮命中率上平均得8.2分，这并不理想。然而，在延长的几分钟内，博库舍夫斯基完全把它填满了。在5月16日对阵快船队的比赛中，他在10/19的射门中得到29分，其中6/9是在弧后。此外，在4月7日对阵夏洛特黄蜂队的比赛中，他在9/14投进25分，其中包括一个有效的7/11三投。
从他分别打了40分钟和33分钟的比赛中可以清楚地看出，波库舍夫斯基有着巨大的潜力。他真正需要的是提高他的整体一致性和效率。他为雷霆队踢球是件好事，在那里他可以有很多时间和空间去做这件事。显然，他的问题主要是由于联赛的调整，所以他最终应该有所改善。这取决于他的工作效率和教练是否愿意给他更多的时间和机会来展示他的价值。
虽然雷霆队绝对不是西部最伟大的球队，但他们仍然有办法让季后赛变得有趣。这完全取决于Gilgeous Alexander如何发展以及教练组如何分配时间。除了前面提到的波库舍夫斯基、巴泽利和多特，球队还有新秀乔什·吉迪（Josh Giddey）和特雷·曼（Tre Mann），分别在2021年NBA选秀中获得第六顺位和第18顺位。
虽然新秀将从一开始就影响球队，但由于球队的位置，这将取决于花名册上更有经验的球员来承担责任，增加他们进入季后赛的机会。最终，即使雷霆不能进入季后赛，前线办公室在球场内外积累的巨大资产也向俄克拉荷马城承诺，它将成为未来不可忽视的力量。
有一件事是肯定的——这是一个饥饿的花名册，可以让对手为他们的钱跑路。
原标题：
The Thunder X Factor For 2021-22 NBA Season, And It’s Not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
原文：
The Oklahoma City Thunder did not have much success in the 2020-21 NBA season. After making the Playoffs in each of the five seasons prior to that and 10 times in the last eleven years, the squad went 22-50 last year, as they focused more on the evolution of their young guns. The leader of the team is undisputedly led by guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had an amazing year, but he was not the only contributor. Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski had a few great games and sophomore Darius Bazley had a good year as well.
Based on what the Thunder are doing, it seems like the next two years will still be focused on rebuilding the team. The front office accumulated many assets for the future, but that does not mean that this squad will not play their heart out and try to reach the postseason. For that to happen, however, it will take more work and steady improvement from absolutely everyone on the roster.
While all eyes will continue to be on Gilgeous-Alexander and his further development, this roster has several parts that can contribute in a big way. The focus of this season is clearly to develop youngsters and the Thunder has one who can take major steps forward in the form of Luguentz Dort.
The Canadian forward came seemingly out of nowhere in the NBA Bubble a year ago. After averaging just under seven points, Dort exploded with some huge games in the Playoffs, giving him an opportunity to really earn his minutes on this roster. When last season started and when it was clear that the Thunder coaching staff will give more minutes to the youngsters on the squad, Dort used the opportunity perfectly.
The forward came from averaging just under 23 minutes to averaging almost 30 and used the time well. He increased his points per game to 14, albeit with the efficiency still being an issue. His shooting splits were 38.7/34.3/74.4, which is not ideal, but that only means that he has a lot of room for improvement.
It is clear that he is being pushed into the role of a second option on offense, which is understandable since Dort is the second-best prospect on the squad. However, it does not always seem to suit him, but he could work on it this summer and in the preseason. If he can improve his efficiency and settle in the role coach Mark Daigneault clearly wants him to have, Dort can take massive strides to further inspire optimism in Oklahoma City.
Apart from Dort, Aleksej Pokuševski is another promising youngster for Oklahoma City. He did not have great numbers last season, but that was understandable as he was just a rookie then He averaged 8.2 points on 34.1/28.0/73.8 shooting splits, which is not ideal. However, in extended minutes, Pokuševski absolutely filled it up. On the 16th of May, against the Clippers, he scored 29 points on 10/19 shooting, including 6/9 from behind the arc. Additionally, on the 7th of April against the Charlotte Hornets, he scored 25 on 9/14 shooting, including an efficient 7/11 from three.
It is clear from these games, where he played 40 and 33 minutes, respectively, that Pokuševski has a ton of potential. All that he really needs is to increase his consistency and efficiency overall. It is good that he is playing for the Thunder, where he can have a lot of time and space to do it. Obviously, the issues he had were mostly due to the adjustment to the league, so he should improve on that eventually. It will be up to his work rate and the willingness of his coach to give him more minutes and opportunities to show his worth.
While the Thunder are definitely not the greatest team in the West, they still have tools to make the postseason race interesting. It all depends on how Gilgeous-Alexander develops and how the coaching staff distributes minutes. Other than the aforementioned Pokuševski, Bazely, and Dort, the squad also has rookies Josh Giddey, taken with the sixth overall pick, and Tre Mann, taken with the 18th selection in the 2021 NBA Draft.
While the rookies are going to impact the team from the get-go, due to the position of the franchise, it will be up to the more experienced guys on the roster to carry the load and increase their chances for a Playoff run. At the end of the day, even if the Thunder do not make the postseason, the sheer amount of assets on and off the floor the front office assembled promises Oklahoma City that it will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
One thing is for sure – this is a hungry roster that can give opponents a run for their money.
