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Despite a 1-2 start and the ongoing establishment of the post-James Harden era, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit at the No. 4 slot in Seth Rosenthal's Week 2 NBA power rankings for SB Nation. That's because the Thunder still has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who themselves are still getting back in the flow that helped them reach the NBA Finals last season.
The Thunder are one of several very good teams pausing to reestablish roles with a slightly warped roster. Kevin Durant's been a bit too generous, Russell Westbrook perhaps a bit too hyper. Kevin Martin just wants to run around and shoot things. The defense needs to recalibrate a bit. They'll be okay.
Oklahoma City beat the Portland Trail Blazers but has dropped games to the Atlanta Hawks and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs used a Tony Parker buzzer beater to defeat the Thunder in the season-opener.
The Spurs are No. 1 in Rosenthal's standings, and they're followed by the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers.
And for the Thunder, a loss to the new-look Hawks wasn't the worse thing that could happen, either.
Westbrook has struggled to hit his shots so far, and he went 5-for-18 against the Hawks on Monday. Meanwhile, the team is still finding out how Kevin Martin fits into the equation, though his 28-point outburst against Atlanta is likely a hint toward the answer.