Oklahoma City Thunder

24-58, no playoffs

Overview: This could be the year Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reaches All-Star status. The smooth Thunder guard averaged more than 30 points per game after the All-Star break last season, then missed the final month of the season with a sore right ankle. He recovered and dominated for Canada’s national team this summer. He had a setback right before training camp – a left knee sprain that has kept him out of preseason action — but the Thunder have said they expect it to be minor. Gilgeous-Alexander has never been an All-Star; Oklahoma City has ranked among the league’s worst teams the past two years. He understands that one of the league’s youngest rosters will need to come up with more wins to get him there.“I think it should be that way because the point of the game is to win,” he said. “It matters most that you win. That’s what we all play the game to do, is to win games, win championships. So I think it (winning) means a lot, and I think it should mean a lot.”

Quote: “He’s just going to start scraping the beginning of his prime, which is exciting to think about,”Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. Gilgeous-Alexander’s success has sparked rumors that he might eventually want to leave the struggling franchise. But he is focused on the Thunder and wants to make good on his long-term deal.