A Q&A with J.A. Sherman of SB Nation’s Thunder site Welcome to Loud City.

What needs to happen for this to be an enjoyable season for Thunder fans?

The Thunder need to jell to become a formidable group, where the “OKC 3” is seen as a dominant and cohesive force.

Oklahoma City Thunder / Projected Starters
Position	Starters	Bench
Guards	Russell Westbrook	Raymond Felton Semaj Christon
Wings	Paul George Carmelo Anthony Andre Roberson	Jerami Grant Alex Abrines Terrance Ferguson Kyle Singler Josh Huestis
Bigs	Steven Adams	Patrick Patterson Dakari Johnson Nick Collison

What makes Thunder fans most excited about this year? What makes Thunder fans most nervous?

General Manager Sam Presti has re-signed MVP Russell Westbrook, so at the very least, they retain one of the true elite talents in the league and can continue to build around him. The fear is that the top talent that Presti acquired doesn't mesh well with Westbrook's approach to the game.

Gut Check

Survey data collected from site writers and editors. The wider the graph the more optimism and trust the fans have in their team! The grey line indicates the average of all sites' collected data.

8.4

Out of 10

How good will your team be this year

8.4

Out of 10

Are they on the rise or on the decline

9.8

Out of 10

Are fans happy with the team’s direction or angry

9.4

Out of 10

Are they trying to win now or build for the future

What storyline might a national audience be missing about the Thunder?

Steven Adams is the bedrock for everything. If the team lets him do what he does best, he makes everyone's jobs easier.

Why should neutrals pay attention to the Thunder this year?

In an era where the best players congregate to take a run at the title, this is the latest effort, one of the best, and also one of the most surprising. If the Thunder succeed, that may give other smaller-market teams hope to remain competitive in the new NBA landscape.

What's your prediction for the season?

58-24, No. 3 seed in the West. Ultimately, the season's success will be graded on how competitive the team is against the Warriors, Rockets, and Spurs.