Grading Oklahoma City Thunder's Final 15-Man Roster

It's difficult to truly grade this Oklahoma City Thunder team. On paper, they are a championship contender. In reality, they are a battered bunch in danger of another disappointing season. 

Injuries have left the Thunder's roster depleted. Center Kendrick Perkins missed the preseason with a quad injury. Key reserve Reggie Jackson was dealt a double whammy from the injury bug, suffering a wrist contusion and a twisted ankle in the same month. Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb is nursing a lower back sprain. 

Meanwhile, star forward Kevin Durant (foot), rookie Mitch McGary (foot) and veteran shooter Anthony Morrow (knee) will miss significant time with their own ailments. Despite the recent misfortune, head coach Scott Brooks wants his team to soldier on, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:

"

It’s no fun having injured players, whether it’s our team or our opponent. You want everybody to have their best opportunity to have their entire roster. But we don’t live in that world…You have to be able to adapt and manage adversity. It’s how you bounce back through those adverse times that make you as a player and as a team. And we feel we have opportunities with guys being out.

"

As a result, point guard Russell Westbrook and power forward Serge Ibaka will be the only proven commodities on the floor when the team opens up against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 29. They will be asked to carry a starting rotation that is now filled with uncertainty. 

As for the grading process, each position will be assessed as a group. Injuries factored into the marks, as did depth of talent and expectations going into the season. In situations where a starter has yet to be named, the projected winner was given the nod. 

Here are the grades for the Thunder's final 15-man roster. 

Point Guard

Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

Starter: Russell Westbrook

Bench: Reggie Jackson (injured), Sebastian Telfair

With injuries hindering the Thunder's other areas, point guard has become the team's greatest position of strength. The group is led by perennial All-Star Russell Westbrook, who will open the season as the team's alpha dog in Kevin Durant's absence. 

The keys for Westbrook this year will be staying healthy and playing with some self-control. The UCLA product missed 36 games last season due to knee troubles. He still managed to average 21.8 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per contest. 

Per 100 possessions, those numbers translate to a nightly stat line of 35.7 points, 11.4 assists and 9.4 boards. 

With the offense firmly in Westbrook's grasp, cutting down on turnovers is a must. He averaged 4.1 mistakes per game during the preseason. He also shot a mere 36.9 percent from the field. The hope is that both of those numbers improve when the games actually count. 

Coming into his contract year, Reggie Jackson was hoping to be a starter this season. Instead, Jackson has spent the prelude to the season battling injuries. He injured his wrist in a Oct. 10 showdown with the Memphis Grizzlies. Then, he twisted his ankle in his first practice back.  

Jackson is questionable for the season opener against Portland, per a tweet from ESPN.com's Royce Young. 

When healthy, Jackson gives the Thunder's offense another dimension. He can provide a spark off the bench, or he can team with Westbrook to give Oklahoma City a dynamic scoring backcourt. It's an element that has been missing in the Thunder's repertoire since the departure of James Harden in 2012.

If Jackson is sidelined, journeyman Sebastian Telfair will assume the duties as Westbrook's backup. The former Brooklyn phenom spent last season playing in China. While he never lived up to the hype as a 2004 lottery pick, Telfair is still a decent option as a third guard. He's averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 assists per game during his nine years in the NBA.   

Overall, the tandem of Westbrook and Jackson (when he returns) give this group plenty of star power. 

Grade: A-

Shooting Guard

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Starter: Andre Roberson

Bench: Jeremy Lamb (injured), Anthony Morrow (injured)

Shooting guard was one of two spots that were up for grabs heading into this season (center being the other). Thabo Sefolosha, who was the starter for a little over five seasons, left the team over the summer to sign with the Atlanta Hawks. 

The competition was a three-way dance between second-year man Andre Roberson, former lottery pick Jeremy Lamb and free-agent acquisition Anthony Morrow. 

Roberson appears to be the winner. By default.

With a chance to seize the job in preseason, Lamb dropped the ball so hard it practically deflated. He went 24-of-79 (30.3 percent) from the field, including a measly 4-of-28 (14.2 percent) from three. Lamb capped off his disappointing start by suffering a lower back sprain that could keep him out of the season opener.

Meanwhile, Morrow sprained his MCL and will miss four to six weeks, per ESPN.com's Royce Young.  

At 6'7" and 210 pounds, Roberson has the size and strength to be the defensive presence on the perimeter that Sefolosha was. Offensively, he's still a work in progress. He averaged 1.9 points per game as a rookie last season, and scored 39 points combined in seven preseason games. 

As for Lamb, this is a make-or-break season for the third-year pro out of UConn. He showed promise in the first half of last season (10 points per game, 45 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three), but hasn't been the same player since. With Roberson's offensive limitations, the Thunder need Lamb to step up and provide a spark.

Morrow will be this unit's saving grace, once he returns. A career 42.8 percent three-point shooter, he is the team's best outside threat, and his presence will help space the floor for others. Reggie Jackson will also see some time at shooting guard when the team is in dire need of buckets. 

The uncertain production of Roberson and Lamb make this a lackluster group overall. Until either step up or Morrow comes back, this will be the Thunder's weakest position. 

Grade: C-

Small Forward

Starter: Kevin Durant (injured)

Relief Starter: Perry Jones

Bench: Lance Thomas

Death, taxes and Kevin Durant. 

Prior to this season, those were the only true certainties in Oklahoma City. 

Now, the team and its fans hold their collective breath as they await the return of the reigning MVP following surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot. The initial reports have KD returning in four to six weeks, but that's far from a given. 

Ex-Washington Wizards forward Chris Singleton dealt with a similar injury last September and didn't fully return until late November. Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez needed multiple surgeries to repair his foot and missed the final four months of last season.

Bleacher Report's Will Carroll (video above) weighed in on the best- and worst-case scenarios for Durant's recovery timetable: "The best case is that he (Durant) is back in that six to eight week window, that he doesn't need surgery to fix it. Worst case, there's a pretty broad area there. He could need surgery, which could extend this a little bit past the eight weeks, but that could keep it locked up." 

Given the long-term risk (think Yao Ming), Durant says he won't rush himself back, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:

"

I’m not going to rush it at all. That’s one thing I’m not going to do. I’m sure I’ll feel better in two or three weeks. But I definitely don’t want to rush it. So I’m taking my time with it. (I’m) blessed that it happened early in the season so I can get past it and hopefully by December I’ll be ready to play.

"

In the meantime, the Thunder will turn to third-year man Perry Jones to fill in. Like Durant, Jones is a tall (6'11"), lanky forward with the capability to play either forward spot. Unfortunately, that's where the similarities between Jones and The Durantula end. 

Jones hasn't seen much time on the floor during his first two seasons in the NBA, mainly because he's playing behind one of the two best players in basketball. He's averaged 10.5 minutes and just three points per game during that span. 

That doesn't mean Jones can't make the most of this new opportunity. The former Baylor star's game is very Lamar Odom-esque. He's a career 34.9 percent three-point shooter and handles the ball well for a guy his size. 

He finished the preseason strong, scoring 20-plus points in the final two games. Now that the team literally has nowhere else to turn, Jones should benefit from not having to worry about looking over his shoulder. He has the potential to be a breakout candidate this season. 

The Thunder will back up Jones with veteran hustle machine Lance Thomas. Thomas' energy on the floor combined with the team's dearth of healthy big men helped the former Duke product earn a roster spot. Much like Jones, this is Thomas' first real chance to show what he can do.

Jones' ability to play admirably in Durant's absence helps the Thunder in two ways. First, it will help keep the team afloat until they return to full strength. Second, it will allow Oklahoma City to bring Durant along slowly once he's cleared to play. 

Assuming Durant comes back healthy, this will once again be a position of strength for the Thunder, with the possibility to be even better, if Jones steps up. 

Grade: B+

Power Forward

Richard Rowe/Getty Images

Starter: Serge Ibaka

Bench: Nick Collison, Grant Jerrett (injured)

Due to the team's litany of injuries, Serge Ibaka will be forced to wear a number of hats this season. When he takes the floor on opening night against Portland, he will be the team's best shot-blocker, three-point shooter, rebounder and interior offensive weapon.

The emergence of center Steven Adams will make life a little easier for Ibaka, but he will still be tasked with carrying an unproven frontcourt. As a result, there's a very good chance that the 25-year-old makes his first All-Star appearance this season. 

Ibaka has made strides every year since entering the league in 2008. His scoring average has gone up in each of the last three seasons, including a career-high 15.1 points per game last year. A large part of that is a result of Ibaka becoming a more consistent threat from downtown, where he converted 38.3 percent of his attempts. 

This season, Ibaka's role should expand. Kevin Durant led the league in usage rate last year at 33 percent. With Durant out until December, Ibaka should see an uptick from the 19.8 percent he notched in 2013-14. Plus, with Anthony Morrow out indefinitely with a knee sprain, the Thunder don't have another proven three-point shooter on the roster beyond Ibaka.

While Ibaka's offense has improved, his work on the defensive end is still the most impressive aspect of his game. He's led the league in total blocks for the past four seasons and held opponents to 48.4 percent shooting, according to 82games.com. 

His versatility on offense, stout defense and continued progress on the boards (career-high 8.8 rebounds per game last season) should lead to Ibaka putting together a solid all-around 2014-15 campaign. 

That's the good news. This is the bad news. 

Beyond Ibaka, there isn't much to get excited about at power forward. Veteran Nick Collison will be the primary backup, but he's 34 years old and hasn't been productive in quite some time. The former Kansas Jayhawk is coming off the worst output of his 10-year career (4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds). 

Lastly, there's Grant Jerrett, who is currently recovering from ankle surgery and is "far away from full-court activity", per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Even when Jerrett returns, he's likely headed to the D-League. 

The potential of a huge season for Ibaka helps push this grade up. If he stays healthy, a nightly clip of 20 points, 10 rebounds and a couple blocks is within his reach. However, depth at the position is a concern. 

Grade: B

Center

Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

Starter: Steven Adams

Bench: Kendrick Perkins, Mitch McGary (injured)

What started off as a position battle between a diminished veteran and a promising young prospect has become a one-sided affair. Second-year man Steven Adams should be the starting center for the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The emphasis being "should."

Head coach Scott Brooks has yet to announce the team's starting pivot man, either for strategic purposes or out of sheer blind loyalty to Perkins. 

Prior to training camp, Perkins was coming off a brutal 2013-14 season. He averaged 3.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, which were his worst numbers since his sophomore campaign with the Boston Celtics in 2004-05. 

Making matters worse, Perkins suffered a strained quad, which kept him out of camp and all of preseason. While Perk was busy recovering, Adams was arguably the Thunder's best player on the floor in exhibition play. 

In seven games, Adams averaged 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. He shot 66 percent from the floor and notched nine blocks. If there was a fatal flaw to an otherwise stellar performance, it was that the big man got whistled for way too many silly fouls.

Perkins is expected to be ready for the season opener but, given his time on the shelf, it's hard to see him being in optimal shape to earn the start. Even if Perkins were somehow built like The Rock, there's no conceivable reason to put him in the starting rotation. 

Offensively, he offers next to nothing, which is an even bigger problem with Kevin Durant (among others) out. Also, his lack of speed and athleticism would likely slow the Thunder down. Defense has always been Perkins' specialty, but Adams has shown the ability to hold his own on that end as well. 

Perkins can still provide a defensive presence coming off the bench, as Brooks pointed out, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "Good players can guard NBA players, whether they’re coming off the bench or not coming off the bench. And Perk has been good for us, if we choose to go that route."

Perkins expressed some nervousness over his role, but isn't too wrapped up with what lies ahead, per Mayberry: "Ain't gonna lie, I'm nervous. I don’t know what it’s gonna be, what the playing time gonna be, whether I’m starting or whether I’m coming off the bench. To me, it really don't even matter. I just want an opportunity to play, that's it."

Beyond Adams and Perkins, rookie Mitch McGary figures to be in the mix at power forward and center. McGary is currently dealing with a fracture in his foot that he suffered during his impressive preseason debut. The Michigan man scored 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He's expected to miss four to six weeks. 

This unit's standing will be contingent on Adams' growth. If he can't stay out of foul trouble, the team will be forced to turn to Perkins, which will limit the offense. The big Kiwi showed flashes of being a star in the preseason but, until he becomes more proven, this group isn't much to write home about. 

Grade: C-