Winners, Losers from Week 2 of Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA Preseason
After two weeks of NBA preseason action, the Oklahoma City Thunder have had their share of ups and downs.
Injuries have become a recurring theme in the early part of the team's 2014-15 campaign. The bad news started just before training camp, when center Kendrick Perkins suffered a strained quad. A few weeks later, rookie Mitch McGary suffered a fracture in his foot. Not long after that, Kevin Durant experienced a foot fracture of his own.
On top of that, Serge Ibaka, Anthony Morrow and Nick Collison are all dealing with minor ankle issues. Guard Reggie Jackson is also day-to-day with a right wrist contusion. The effects of being short-handed were on display in the team's most recent preseason showdown, when the Thunder suffered a 120-86 beating at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans.
The loss brings the Thunder's preseason record to 2-2. As the team prepares for the third week of exhibition action, here are the winners and losers from Week 2.
Winner: C Steven Adams
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The silver lining on the Thunder's rough preseason start has been the sensational play of emerging big man Steven Adams. The 21-year-old continues to make his case to be the team's starting center.
Adams came into this season needing to show some progress on the offensive end. So far, he's done just that. The Pittsburgh product is averaging 17 points per night through the first four games of the preseason. He's 30-of-39 from the floor during that span.
His "worst" outing thus far came against the Pelicans, when he scored only 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 28 minutes. While Adams has a long way to go to become a complete center, his development as a scorer is a good sign. Combined with his toughness and capabilities as a defender, the 7-footer from New Zealand could be poised to break out in his second season.
The next area that Adams needs to work on is staying out of foul trouble. He has committed 11 fouls in his last two games and has been whistled 15 times altogether. Adams' progress would become a moot point if he's relegated to the bench.
Still, his contributions on the offensive end are coming at the perfect time. With Kevin Durant out, the Thunder will need to find scoring wherever they can get it. As an added bonus, Adams showed off his comedic flair in this hilarious video with teammate Reggie Jackson.
Loser: C Kendrick Perkins
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While Steven Adams' emergence has come at the right time for the Thunder, it has also come at the wrong time for veteran Kendrick Perkins. He was already going to have a tough time fending off his younger, more athletic counterpart for the starting center job.
After a rough 2013-14 season that saw him average a putrid 3.4 points and 4.9 rebounds, Perkins' best chance of holding onto his spot was the hope that Adams would experience growing pains. Instead, Adams has put on a show, while Perkins has been sidelined by a quad injury.
As Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman points out, this turn of events puts head coach Scott Brooks in a precarious position:
"How much value does Perkins have coming off the bench? The answer probably can be found in the number of backup centers around the league that are scoring threats. And the answer to that is not many. It leaves Brooks with a fascinating decision: start Perk at the expense of Adams and the offense and get the most out of him against the league's best centers, or bring him off the bench in a role that isn't conducive to what it is he does best.
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Until he returns to the court, it's hard to pinpoint what role Perkins could have this year. Right now, he looks like dead weight. He brings nothing to the table offensively, and the team isn't in desperate need for his defense with Adams and Serge Ibaka protecting the paint.
He does give the team depth, especially with Mitch McGary out. Beyond that, what was already shaping up to be a tough year for the 11-year veteran keeps getting progressively worse.
Winner: SG Jeremy Lamb
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One of the other breakout stars for the Thunder has been Jeremy Lamb. With a starter at shooting guard yet to be determined, Lamb has done his part on both ends of the court to help make his case for the job.
The most noticeable improvement has come on offense. After a terrible 1-of-14 outing in the preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 8, Lamb has bounced back with a slew of impressive performances. He's scored at least 20 points in his last two games, including a 23-point night against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 14.
He's also done his thing on the boards, grabbing 24 rebounds combined in his last three games. Defensively, he's had a block in every game this preseason and has notched six steals.
If there's a knock on Lamb, it would be his three-point shooting. He's 4-of-23 from behind the arc so far. He'll have to improve in that area to wrest minutes away from sharpshooter Anthony Morrow.
Still, Lamb has made some strides. Even if he can't beat out Andre Roberson (among others) for the starting shooting guard spot, he can still provide an offensive spark off the bench. With improved confidence, this could be the year Lamb lives up to his lottery-pick status.
Loser: Andre Roberson's Offensive Progress
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Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has already admitted that Andre Roberson's offensive game is a "work in progress," per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. "(Roberson) still has a ways to go,” Brooks said. “But he’s a guy that’s not going to shy from the work.”
Roberson's development as a scorer sure has been slow. During four games, the second-year man out of Colorado has contributed all of 19 points, 10 of which came in his most recent outing against New Orleans. Prior to his game against the Pelicans, he put a goose egg in the scoring column in his showdown with Memphis.
To his credit, Roberson can contribute in other ways. At 6'7" and 210 pounds, he's a pesky defender with the size and strength to guard multiple positions. He also shows the potential to be a solid rebounder, as he's grabbed at least seven boards in three of his last four games.
That being said, he has to give Oklahoma City something on the offensive end. The Thunder got by for years by playing a defensive-minded shooting guard alongside Russell Westbrook. Still, even Thabo Sefolosha managed to contribute a few points and knock down an occasional three to go along with his pesky defense.
According to Slater, Roberson appears to be the favorite to inherit Sefolosha's spot. However, with better scorers such as Jeremy Lamb, Anthony Morrow and Reggie Jackson behind him, you have to wonder how tight of a grip Roberson has on that spot.
For now, Brooks seems to have faith in the 22-year-old.
"He's a developing player," Brooks said after the Pelicans game, per NBA.com's Nick Gallo. "He has to continue to use every minute he’s on the court to get better. He will with the experience. He’s a great kid who works hard."
With the Thunder needing to replace Kevin Durant's scoring for at least two months, Roberson will need to get better fast.
Loser: Oklahoma City's Depth
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The Oklahoma City Thunder's lack of depth was exposed in last year's playoffs. After Serge Ibaka went down with a calf injury, the team was dominated for the first two games of the series against the San Antonio Spurs.
Ibaka returned for Game 3, but it was clear he was still feeling the lingering effects from his injury. The Spurs eventually eliminated the Thunder in six games.
This offseason, the team made a point to add some depth. It signed Anthony Morrow away from the Pelicans and brought in Sebastian Telfair to be the third point guard. The Thunder also drafted forwards Mitch McGary and Josh Huestis (though the latter will likely spend the 2014-15 season in the D-League).
Two weeks into the preseason, the team's newfound depth has taken some hits. McGary, who missed almost all of last season with a back injury, fractured his foot in his preseason debut. Reigning MVP Kevin Durant recently underwent surgery to fix a Jones fracture in his foot, per ESPN.com's Royce Young.
Kendrick Perkins, Anthony Morrow, Reggie Jackson, Nick Collison and Ibaka have all been dealing with minor injuries. A team with a ton of promise has been dealt setback after setback before the regular season has even started.
"It's definitely a challenge," coach Scott Brooks said after the team's 117-107 win over the Grizzlies on Oct. 14. "It's not the ideal situation, but it's a challenge that we're all going to step up and learn from and get better from it. When our team is whole, we want to be a better team. That's our mindset every day."
It's far too early to bury the Thunder's championship hopes. Perkins and the others should be ready to go by the season opener. McGary, while impressive in his debut, was unlikely to see much playing time this season. As for Durant, the injury is a crushing blow, but fortunately it happened early in the season.
Still, this past week has to feel like a punch to the gut for Thunder fans. A team that prided itself on adding depth this past summer has been forced to turn to its reinforcements far sooner than any championship contender should have to.
Is this recent misfortune just an aberration or an omen for what lies ahead?
Winner: PG Russell Westbrook
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No elite point guard is ever happy to see a teammate go down with an injury, especially a multi-time scoring champion and reigning MVP like Kevin Durant. Still, for as long as Durant is sidelined, the Thunder's offense will become The Russell Westbrook Show.
Westbrook averaged 21.9 points per game as the No. 2 option behind Durant. Now, Durant and his 32 points per game will be on the sidelines for up to two months, opening the door for what could be the most entertaining one-man show of the season.
Westbrook will get some help from guys like Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson and Steven Adams, but he will still shoulder most of the scoring load. How much has Westbrook's stock risen since Durant's injury?
According to CBSSports' Zach Harper, Westbrook's MVP odds jumped from 50-1 to 15-1, which is tied with Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose for fourth-best. In fairness to Durant, he's still No. 2 at 4-1, just behind Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.
Again, losing someone like Durant is no reason for Westbrook to start popping champagne. But a guy who has played second fiddle for the first six years of his career now gets an extended trial as "the guy" on a championship contender.
If nothing else, it will be exciting television.
Loser: SF Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant's foot injury was easily the worst part of a bad second week of preseason for the Oklahoma City Thunder. A man that has missed all of 16 games in eight years now gets to miss six-to-eight weeks following surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot.
While Durant's injury isn't a death sentence for the Oklahoma City's season, the looming uncertainty has to make Thunder fans nervous. Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez and former Houston Rockets big man Yao Ming have both dealt with similar injuries. While Durant isn't as big as that pair of 7-footers, he isn't much smaller at 6'9" and 240 pounds.
Former Washington Wizards forward Chris Singleton suffered a fracture in his foot last season. He ended up playing in just 25 games.
That's not to say Durant can't bounce back from the first major injury of his pro career. With today's technology and advances in modern medicine, anything can happen. Durant posted a picture of himself on Instagram, post-surgery, and vowed "I'll be back."
One factor that works in Durant's favor is the fact the injury was detected early.
"We're really fortunate that we're catching it when we're catching it," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said, per ESPN.com's Royce Young. "We are very fortunate that Kevin notified us and that we're kind of catching it on the front end, before this became more of an acute issue."
Hopefully, that bit of luck helps Durant return to the court without the lingering problems that plagued Lopez and Ming. In the meantime, the Thunder must deal with their most heartbreaking loss of the season, and the reigning MVP is forced to start off his season in the worst possible way.
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