Thunder Breakdown: Oklahoma City Has Heart but Lacks Talent

The Thunder showed up with lots of enthusiasm, a lot of heart, and a bit of talent in an inspiring 107-99 victory over the Knicks. They can't be the worst team in the NBA, can they?

Let’s take a look.

The Nucleus

Kevin Durant

KD—11-16 FG, 1-5 3FG, 4-5 FT, 12 REB, 3 AST, 4 TO, 27 PTS—is already an ace point-maker who can catch-and-shoot, curl-and-shoot, pull-and-shoot, flip floaters in the lane, run and jump in transition, and even score in the post. Even though he was only 1-5 from downtown, Durant’s form was textbook, and he’ll be a lethal three-point shooter for at least another decade.

Most of Durant’s rebounds were uncontested, and he wasn’t strong enough to fight off David Lee on the boards. Still, Durant simply out jumped the other Knicks to haul in several missed shots.

Durant’s dribble is still far too high, a problem that will make him turnover prone if he tries to dribble in traffic. He tried to dribble through a fourth quarter trap resulting in a careless turnover, and also had the ball get stuck on his hip on several occasions. But he made the extra pass and looked to make plays for others, hinting at his unselfishness.

Defensively, Durant sags off his man and hopes that his long arms will allow him to contest shots. He also tends to get wiped out to sea on every screen.

All this implies that Durant still needs to get stronger and improve his handles if he wants to be a top flight performer in this league. The talent is there, and then some.

Jeff Green

Green—8-16 FG, 3-6 3FG, 8-11 FT, 7 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 3 TO, 27 PTS—is an energetic, if mistake-prone forward the Thunder also have high hopes for.

What can he do? Shoot standstill jumpers all along the perimeter. Use his length and leaping ability to compensate for his lack of bulk on the backboards. Use his long arms to poke away dribbles and contest shots.

What can’t he do? Finish. Pull-up. Fight through screens. Catch. Handle. Seal his man in the post.

Oklahoma City will need patience, but Green’s definitely worth developing.

Russell Westbrook

A gem of an athlete, Westbrook lived in the paint—6-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 9-11 FT, 6 REB, 9 AST, 4 TO, 22 PTS—and carved up the Knicks from the inside out. If his court vision wasn’t terrific, its understood that he’s still transitioning into a full-time floor general.

However, he’s extraordinarily shifty, can finish at the rim, and can make difficult runners off his wrong foot (pulling and fading off his right foot on the left baseline, for example) look effortless.

It may take a few years to get airborne, but the sky’s the limit for Westbrook.

All in all, the trio is supremely athletic and talented, however, also very raw and unpolished. This suggests that if their full potential ever is reached, it would be far sooner than later. Fortunately, Oklahoma City residents are ecstatic to have a brand-spanking franchise, and will wait out the growing pains hoping for big returns on their investment.

The Veterans

Desmond Mason

Mason—6-10 FG, 1-2 FT, 7 REB, 3 STL, 3 BLK, 13 PTS—assaulted the backboards and the baseline, scoring on tip-ins, post-ups, baseline brush screens, and reverse layups when Westbrook fed him near the basket. Defensively, Mason always pressured the passing lane, and was amazing at coming from the weak side to swat shots at the rim.

He even chased down Nate Robinson in transition and blocked him at the rim!

Smith’s hustle saved numerous loose balls (including a key one down the stretch, and his layup with 40 seconds to go sealed the victory for the Thunder.

Joe Smith

Smith—3-7 FG, 4 REB, 1 STL, 4 BLK, 6 PTS—laid down his staff and said unto the Knicks, “thou shall not pass.” His four blocks (and countless alterations) thwarted Knick layup attempts, and he was often the one boxing out on defense so teammates could grab the loose balls.

On offense, he hustled on the boards saving a key possession for Oklahoma City late in the game, and cut his way into opportunistic jump shots.

It’s his leadership that is the most important attribute Smith brings to the table, though. After Green had made his first seven free throws of the night, he bricked two midway through the fourth. With the Thunder clinging to a four-point lead with a minute to go, Green got fouled and missed the next free throw. Smith went over to the line and shouted belligerently towards Green, “let’s go!” Jarred by the veteran’s outburst, Green’s final free throw swished through the net.

If Westbrook, Durant, and Green represent the future, Mason and Smith won the the game for the Thunder. There is no doubt the presence of Mason and Smith will serve as beacons for Oklahoma City’s neophytic nucleus as to how to play the game the right way.

The Rest

Chris Wilcox

Wilcox—3-5 FG, 2-2 FT, 5 REB, 2 AST, 3 TO, 8 PTS—Wilcox still doesn’t use his left hand, and still is helpless against hard double teams, but he boxed out, attacked the backboards, and scavenged up eight points.

There are plenty of teams who can use Wilcox’s rebounding and occasional post scoring leaving him likely to find himself in a new zip code come the end of February.

Earl Watson

Watson—1-4 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2 REB, 6 AST, 2 PTS—forced two shots, jumped in the air to pass, was largely ineffective in the half court, but pushed the ball and knew how to take advantage of defensive mistakes—like the Knicks not having any weak side help when fronting Chris Wilcox, leading to a Watson-to-Wilcox alley.

Now that Scott Brooks is coaching and P.J. Carlesimo is out, the Thunder have settled on the proper rotation of starting Westbrook and giving Watson about 20 minutes a game depending on how well he and Westbrook are playing.

Robert Swift

Swift set flimsy screens and was generally useless.

Damien Wilkins

Wilkins—1-3 FG, 2 PTS—is a scorer who can’t find the basket.

Of the four players, only Watson and Wilcox have limited value. None should still be on the roster when next season begins.

Despite the win, the Thunder still need major doses of experience, a center who can immediately contribute, depth everywhere except power forward, a lot of patience, and even more luck. Their present roster, top to bottom, is the dead worst in the NBA.

But they play hard, have a young nucleus, and have a glimmer of hope for a bright future.

All of which is more than can be said of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Erick Blasco's articles also appear on otrbasketball.com