For both the Oklahoma City Thunder and their superstar small forward Kevin Durant, time is of the essence. The Thunder must demonstrate they have what it takes to be in contention for a championship every season for at least the next few years, while Durant must show he can return to his MVP-form after a series of devastating injuries that kept him sidelined for much of last season.

Durant, 26, is not getting any younger, and as he enters the prime years of his NBA career, he should be absolutely certain about his future when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. Many believe he might actually leave the Thunder for his hometown team, the Washington Wizards, who should have the necessary cap room to make an impressive pitch. After all, LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers out of sheer love for his city last summer, so would anyone blame Durant if he did the same?

In all likelihood, I see Durant staying with the Thunder. Every once in a while a big-time free agent goes elsewhere, such as LaMarcus Aldridge when he decided to leave the Portland Trail Blazers and sign with the San Antonio Spurs this summer. However, Durant seems like he badly wants to win a championship for the team that originally drafted him. If this is to happen, he and Russell Westbrook must remain healthy for most of this season so they can return to being a powerhouse contender in the West.

Make no mistake about it, this is the most important season in perhaps the history of the Thunder since they moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. Durant has watched James make the NBA Finals five years in a row, and he has experienced James defeating him on his way to his first championship in 2012. For as much criticism as James gets, you can tell that Durant still envies his success. On the polar opposite side, he has also seen what has happened with Carmelo Anthony, who at one point seemed to be on par with James in terms of sheer talent while on a respectable New York Knicks team. Now, Anthony is locked into a deal with a bad Knicks team that traded away the assets that made them semi-relevant again, and they are now scrambling to rebuild as they waste away the precious last years of Anthony’s career.

The Thunder have done everything they can to put themselves in the best possible position going into this season. They wisely fired Scott Brooks, who ran arguably the laziest and most uninspired offense in the league largely concentrated on isolation clear outs for Durant and Westbrook, and replaced him with Billy Donovan, the decorated, feisty coach from the University of Florida. They also retained Enes Kanter, who signed a four-year, $70 million offer sheet with the Trail Blazers. That was a little steep considering his lack of defense, but the Thunder rightly matched the offer due to their desperate need for a consistent back-to-the-basket threat on offense.

Now, for the first time since they traded James Harden in 2012, they finally have the star power, role players and coaching to win it all. As long as Durant can remain healthy this year, there is no reason why he cannot lead this team to a championship and silence the critics for good. Watching Durant and how he responds to the massive pressure he will undoubtedly be under this season will prove to be one of the more fascinating storylines in the NBA this coming year.

Dan Schultz is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.