Can Russell Westbrook Save Thunder's Season Without Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka?

If the Oklahoma City Thunder intend to save their season, they'll have to hope Russell Westbrook can do it on his own, without the help of Kevin Durant or Serge Ibaka.

With less than 15 games remaining, the Thunder are officially living through one of the worst possible scenarios—worse than anything they could have envisioned at the beginning of the season.

After experiencing soreness in his twice-surgically repaired right foot, Durant, who hasn't played since Feb. 19, is back to bystander duty, per Bleacher Report's Howard Beck:

When pressed by reporters, general manager Sam Presti admitted there is no timetable for the All-Star's return, according to ESPN.com's Royce Young:

To be absolutely certain, yes, this means it's likely, if not inevitable, that Durant doesn't play again this season. As Presti reiterated, per The Oklahoman's Anthony Slater:

Devastating? Yes.

The end of Oklahoma City's misfortune? No.

Ibaka won't be coming back any time soon, either. He will be out for the next four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Because fate still possesses a cruel, twisted sense of entitlement, the losses don't stop there. Per Young, Enes Kanter is banged up as well:

This leaves Westbrook on his own, trying to carry Oklahoma City into the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year as the franchise holds out hope this season can amount to something.

That hope is shaky at best, thoroughly rattled by what we know to be true.

"Without Durant, Russell Westbrook has brought Terminator-like determination to assaulting the stat sheet in a manner not seen since Oscar Robertson," wrote The Washington Post's Michael Lee. "But the Thunder has no chance of a long playoff run without Durant or Ibaka."

No chance. None. Zip. Zilch. Zero.

At this point, it would be a long shot if Oklahoma City clinched a playoff berth. The Thunder hold a one-game lead over the New Orleans Pelicans for the West's eighth and final spot. That, and their upcoming schedule, relative to New Orleans', are the only two things going for them.

The Pelicans play through the West's third-hardest slate to finish the season, while the Thunder face one of the conference's five easiest, according to NBA.com's John Schuhmann.

But even this is hardly comforting. New Orleans owns the tiebreaker over Oklahoma City, and both teams have the same number of games remaining. That means the Thunder need to retain their one-game cushion, matching the Pelicans victory for victory down the stretch—a responsibility now squarely on Westbrook's shoulders. 

Richard Rowe/Getty Images

On an individual scale, that's not a problem. Westbrook is playing with the ferocity of an interplanetary cyborg, averaging a triple-double since Durant last took the floor.

One more time: Westbrook is averaging a triple-double since Feb. 20. Not just recorded six triple-doubles. Averaging a triple-double.

In maintaining this supernova stasis, the 26-year-old point guard has commanded MVP consideration, even if it's only residual attention bouncing off Stephen Curry and James Harden. And having this MVP candidate is huge.

Superstars often belie hardship. To have Westbrook is to have a chance at salvaging a campaign run astray, to have a shot at making the playoffs and increase the likelihood, however slim, that Durant, Ibaka or both play again this season.

Despite that chance, though, Westbrook's rescue mission is not a predestined success. For all that's happened, for all he's played through, these are still very much uncharted waters for him and the Thunder.

Oklahoma City's trio has seldom been healthy this season, adding a level of familiarity to recent developments: Westbrook, Durant and Ibaka have appeared in just 27 games together. Westbrook still isn't used to playing without both Durant and Ibaka:

Totaling 281 minutes of solo court time isn't proof of anything; it's a small sample size. Westbrook has seen less than six games worth of action without either of his two primary sidekicks this season.

That minutes total increases to 641 for his career, which doesn't even equate to 14 games of action. In other words, more than 96 percent of Westbrook's career playing time has come beside Durant or Ibaka. So yes, this is still foreign—and ineffective—territory. 

Westbrook's superhuman performances have only been enough for the Thunder to tread water. They're a respectable 9-5 since Durant last played (8-5 with Westbrook), but not one of those victories came while facing a Western Conference playoff team.

Six of their final 14 tilts are against such squads. Eight come versus teams over .500. 

Troubling still, the Thunder are actually faring better without Westbrook on the floor since his triple-double extravaganza began. The coupe de grace: Oklahoma City's most-used five-man lineup that includes Westbrook but not Ibaka or Durant—and consists of only current players—features Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, Dion Waiters and Kanter.

Those five have seen a whopping 44 minutes together, during which time they've outscored opponents by a piddling 1.3 points per 100 possessions. 

And that brings us full circle, back to the impossible task at hand. 

Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

When all's said and done, Westbrook may have saved the Thunder's season to the point where they avoid missing the playoffs. But in terms of actually saving their season, of giving them an opportunity to be more than a first-round steppingstone, he is out of his league.

No one player can stave off the inevitable ending to this injury-fraught situation on his own. Not even a healthy Durant. The West is too deep, the competition too fierce, the potential playoff opponent (Golden State Warriors) too good.

Without Durant or Ibaka, the Thunder are a fractured version of their usual selves. And until they're whole again, their ceiling, even with MVP Westbrook, is that of the first-round steppingstone they're not supposed to be.

*Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and are accurate heading into games on March 20. 

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