Oklahoma City shocked the NBA world last year by winning 50 games, and then subsequently pushing the Lakers to a rebound away from a game 7.  Durant led the league in scoring, Westbrook emerged as a leader, and Jeff Green continued to improve.  The Thunder are the “feel good” exciting story of the league and while last year they managed to fly under the radar for most of the year, this year the league has taken notice of the Thunder as one of the premier teams to be reckoned with.  This article will look at the prop bets for Durant & crew.

Kevin Durant Over/Under 31.0 ppg

WOW.  This one while tantalizing to bet on, is going to be very tough to call.  He managed 30 a game last year, and is only getting better, but to exceed 31 a game would be quite a feat.  The only guy to do it in recent times is Kobe Bryant. As much as I would like to say over on this one, I’m not sure I can.  Yet at the same time, he has all the talent to average 33 a game.  Nonetheless, I stay clear of this bet.

Kevin Durant Over/Under 7.3 rpg

OVER.  He was at 7.6 last season, and he knows he is going to be counted on again to get a lot of rebounds.  His lanky 6’10 frame and 7′ wingspan make it easy for him to sneak in for rebounds.  I think he averages 8.0 rpg this year, making this an easy ‘over.’

Kevin Durant Over/Under 3.0 apg

OVER.  He was at 2.8 last year, and this year he’ll have the ball in his hands all the time, and he has an increase impetus to create for his teammates.  He should be slightly over 3.0 apg this year, if not at 3.5.  He knows creating for others is the next step in making him the premier player in the league.

Russell Westbrook Over/Under 16.5 ppg

OVER.  In his first two seasons in the league, he averaged 16.9 both years.  And Westbrook, like the rest of the young Thunder, is still improving.  I see Westbrook at about 18.0 ppg this year, if not more.  Again, I reference the “third year breakout” rule as a reason here, and believe his continued improvement should make him a better scorer this year.

Jeff Green Over/Under 16.5 ppg

UNDER.  He has yet to average this many points in his career, and last year was a down year from his second year in the league.  While Green is a good prospect and is capable of scoring 16.5 ppg, I think he is much closer to 15 ppg, as he is still the third option on offense.  Even with teams keying in on Durant, I still don’t think Green averages 1.8 more points a game than last season.

Jeff Green Over/Under 6.5 rpg

Too close to call.  In 08-09 he was right at 6.5 a game, and was at 5.8 last year.  He’s a bit undersized to be a power forward and will have to improve his box out skills in order to get more rebounds a game.  While I would go under if anything, I still don’t think this is a good bet.

James Harden Over/Under 11.0 ppg

OVER.  Last season, in only 22 minutes a game, he managed 9.9 ppg.  His PER-36 would put him at 15.6 ppg.  While he won’t be seeing 36 minutes a night, splitting time with Sefolosha, he should manage to get about 12 a game this year, if not 14.  This is a pretty good ‘over’ bet.

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