Coming off the first win of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans (1-4) should now immediately have their sights set on the year’s first winning streak. Two teams with losing records lay in wait next on the schedule, with the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-4) standing in the way first.
These are not your yesteryear’s Thunder. After 11 seasons in OKC, Russell Westbrook has departed, traded to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul in the last offseason. While his stay was a much shorter one, the Thunder are now also without the services of Paul George; however, they were able to replace him with one of the most exciting young talents in the game: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.