Russell Westbrook has agreed to a three-year 85 million dollar extension with the Thunder, which means that the Northwest Division will continue to be one of the toughest divisions in the NBA. The Trail Blazers and Jazz looked to be the clear-cut favorites to claim the division title in 2016-17, but it appears that OKC isn’t going anywhere. While Kevin Durant‘s departure will have some serious implications, fans shouldn’t be shocked when they see the Thunder near the top of the divisional standings.
It is true that the importance of winning your division has decreased under the recent rule changes, but your divisional opponents are the teams that you become the most familiar with.