45-year old head coach Scott Brooks got the Thunder to the playoffs way ahead of schedule last season and it will be up to the coach to keep them there.  Brooks led the Thunder to a 50-32 record (61%) during the regular season and then they took the Lakers to six games before falling just a tad short.  Brooks now has a 72-79 (47.7%) record in his two years in charge for the Thunder.  The Thunder didn’t make many improvements in the roster over the summer so it will be up to the younger players to rise up and I think Brooks is the right guy for the job.

27-year old Nenad Krstic is the safe choice to get the most playing time at center for the Thunder this season. He played in 76 games (all starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 8.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Krstic has now played in 348 games (306 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 25.8 minutes, 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Krstic doesn’t have near the upside of second year man Serge Ibaka or rookie Cole Aldrich so Krstic could see a drop in minutes if one of the youngsters step up.

21-year old Serge Ibaka was outstanding as a rookie in limited P.T. He played in 73 games (0 starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 18.1 minutes, 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Ibaka is a defensive force and he’s a glass eater so look for him to possibly get more P.T. this year.

21-year old rookie Cole Aldrich is the classic big man. He plays his game in the paint. Aldrich played in 36 games at Kansas last season and he averaged 26.8 minutes, 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 3.5 blocked shots per game. He played in 111 games in his three years at Kansas and he averaged 21.0 minutes, 9.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game. It will be interesting to see how quick the Thunder decide to give him playing time.

21-year old B.J. Mullens has dropped all the way down to 4th string at center heading into this year. He played in 13 games (0 starts) for the Thunder as a rookie last year and he averaged 4.2 minutes, 1.1 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Mullens spent most of last season in the D-League and it could happen again this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE THUNDERS CENTERS IN 2010-11: C+

24-year old Jeff Green will be the starting power forward once again for the Thunder in 2010-11. Green played in 82 games (all starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 37.1 minutes, 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He has now played in 240 games (212 starts) in his three years in the NBA and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Thunder would like it if Green got a little tougher under the basket so that he could get more rebounds.

29-year old Nick Collison will back up Green this year. Collison played in 75 games (5 starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 5.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He has now played in 454 games (167 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 23.9 minutes, 7.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Collison is a classic banger inside the paint and the Thunder benefit when he’s on the court.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE THUNDERS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B

Forget about LeBron James, 22-year old small forward Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA right now. Durant played in 82 games (all starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 39.5 minutes, 30.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Durant has now played in 236 games (all starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 37.7 minutes, 25.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He just keeps getting better which has to be scary for the rest of the NBA.

33-year old Morris Peterson will give Durant a break when he needs one. Peterson played in 46 games (39 starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 21.2 minutes, 7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He has now played in 707 games (487 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 27.4 minutes, 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Peterson’s main asset to offer the Thunder will be his long range shooting as he has hit 37.4% of his shots behind the three point line so far in his career.

23-year old Daequan Cook will be #3 in line at small forward so don’t expect him to get much P.T. this season. Cook played in 45 games (3 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 15.4 minutes, 5.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Cook has now played in 179 games (26 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he has averaged 22.2 minutes, 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE THUNDER SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A+++++++++++++

The Thunder have a good defensive player (Thabo Sefolosha) and a good offensive player (James Harden) to share time at shooting guard in 2010-11. 26-year old Thabo Sefolosha will likely be the starter at shooting guard once again in 2010-11. He played in 82 games (all starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 28.6 minutes, 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Sefolosha has now played in 288 games (144 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 21.2 minutes, 5.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He is a true shutdown type defender but the Thunder would probably like it if he scored just a little bit more.

21-year old James Harden will eventually be the starting shooting guard for the Thunder. He played in 76 games (0 starts) for the Thunder as a rookie last season and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Look for him to again play about half the game this year but to be a starter in the near future due to his offensive game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE THUNDERS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: C