You could forgive Steven Adams for needing a second take, when he enters the home locker-room for the Thunder's 2019/20 opener against the Jazz on Thursday (NZT).
Two mammoth off-season trades that sent Russell Westbrook and Paul George packing have officially put the Thunder into rebuild mode and wiped the slate clean for head coach Billy Donovan. It's literally a changing of the guard(s).
Obviously, the loss of those perennial All Stars,brings a lot of uncertainty, but it also brings plenty of opportunity for Adams. And as far as Westbrook as concerned, it's a case of addition by subtraction.
Don't be blinded by the triple-doubles. For all of Westbrook's snarling competitiveness, gaudy numbers and vicious transition dunks - they were offset by a horrific turnover rate, field goal percentage that stifled the rest of the squad and put a firm ceiling on the Thunder's potential.
His staggeringly high usage rate only worsened the impact of those inefficiencies. His past two seasons are ranked first (41.65%) and fourth (38.74%) respectively for usage rate in the entire history of the league. Translation: Russ can be a bit of a hungus.
It's a far different story with George. He produced the best season of his career with the Thunder last season, before answering an SOS from fellow LA-native Kawhi Leonard to return home and join forces at the Clippers. His loss is undeniably be felt.
But all things considered, the loots that General Manager Sam Presti managed to finagle from both trades were enough to make Biggie blush.
In addition to future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, the Thunder nabbed under-rated scorer Danilo Gallinari, one of the most promising young talents in the NBA in sophomore guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a succession of first-round draft picks and pick swaps that extend through to 2026.
Murmurings of unrest from Paul's corner at his new situation suggest that his stay in Oklahoma City could be brief, but he's still a tradeable asset that could be used to further bolster as rock-solid a foundation for a team rebuild you could ever hope for.
And make no mistake, that's precisely what this season will represent for the Thunder - a chance to replant those fertile seeds in the hope that they'll eventually blossom into success. Or something.
As the team's longest tenured player in the face of all this transition, Adams' development as an on and off court leader becomes paramount.
Westbrook takes with him the final vestige of the Thunder's golden age, and leaves Adams as the longest tenured Thunder player. Edging closer to veteran status, the big Kiwi will need to be a stabilising influence both on and off the court.
Yet again voted the NBA's toughest player, Adams clearly has the respect of players and coaches league-wide, and translating that toughness to leadership could be critical to the success of the Thunder's youthful core.
Of course, Paul can bark with the best of them, but Adams has the brawn to back it up. He needs to be the heart of the squad, their new talisman.
Intangibles aside, the expectations will be almost as high with Adam's on-court growth, particularly in the scoring department.
It's been a common refrain since Durant took his 28 ppg to the Warriors in 2016, but it's never quite eventuated. His points per game and shot attempts have risen ever so slightly, but this season that number should take significant leap.
Adams was the ultimate opportunist with his scoring - feasting on Westbrook lobs, his increasingly effective close-range push shot, and endless putbacks afforded by his elite offensive rebounding.
What we may see this year from Donovan is a more deliberate approach to increasing Adams' involvement on the offensive end, using him in set plays where his under-rated passing ability could allow him to run the offence through the low block a la the Nuggets' Nikola Jokic.
The Thunder have been hamstrung by their inability to keep pace with the league-wide trend towards three-point shooting in recent years, where their lack of genuine long-range gunners has enabled opposition defences to sag towards the paint to protect the drive.
That was most apparent in pick and roll scenarios involving Adams and Westbrook, where defenders understandably paid little respect to Westbrooks' shoddy .290 shooting from three-point range and would instead hedge to prevent the pass to Adams.
With sharpshooters Paul and Gilgeous-Alexander now occupying that role, not to mention Itallian Stalllion Gallinari's ability to stretch a defence at the forward spot, Adams should have plenty more room to operate in the low-post, as defences are forced to genuinely respect OKC's threat from outside.
With Paul at the helm, those lobs that have become Adams' bread and butter will still be there, and there's also some scope there for some mid-range or elbow jumpers. His hook shot almost extends that far these days, anyway.
Oh, and yes, Adams hit a three-pointer in the pre-season. No, he won't be attempting those regularly.
While the scoring jump is a tad speculative, there's one area where you can be sure Adams takes a monster jump - rebounding.
Of course, Adams is already prolific on the boards, at least on the offensive end. His 4.9 per game last season were good enough for second in the league.
But his drop off on the defensive side, where he averages just 4.6, is almost two rebounds shy of any other player ranked in the top 10.
It's a bizarre discrepancy that can almost entirely be attributed to Westbrook's relentless pursuit (some would call it stat-chasing) for defensive boards.
Granted, he's arguably the greatest rebounding guard of all time, but Adams - whether by edict or not - would often be found boxing out for Westbrook to reel in anything at the defensive end, especially on free throws.
Not that you'd ever a consummate team guy and selfless pro like Adams complain about it. But we should see Adams comfortably take his 9.5 boards from 2019 beyond the 10 per game mark to move into that hallowed double-double average territory.
Defensively, he'll remain their anchor. He's still one of the league's best both in the paint and defending the pick and roll, and the upgrade to dogged defender Paul at point guard will make that job even easier.
Could this be the season Adams legitimately breaks into All Star consideration? If the NBA still had dedicated centre spots, I'd like his chances. But the move to three forward slots in the voting makes the competition that much more stiff. But hey, there's always the coach's vote.
For the first time in Adams' career, the Thunder will not qualify for the playoffs. Beyond the starting five, the depth you need for a post-season push through an 82-game haul in the furnace of the Western Conference just isn't there.
And of course, there's still the strong possibility that Adams himself becomes part of a trade package. In a league where everybody wants their centres to be able to move beyond the arc, there's still plenty of suitors for a hard-nosed, throwback big like Funaki.
Either way, you can rest assured that this Thunder squad will be fun, and Adams will be as relevant as ever.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference
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