Report Card Grades for Every OKC Thunder Player After First Month of 2014-15

With the first month of the Oklahoma City Thunder's nightmare season in the books, it's time to grade each player's performance. 

The early part of OKC's 2014-15 campaign was about survival. Injuries thinned the roster, and the team had to fight just to get to their 5-12 record. With the offense struggling, head coach Scott Brooks has leaned heavily on a zone defensive scheme to stay competitive. 

The result is a Thunder team that's fourth in points allowed per game (93.2) and eighth in defensive efficiency (100.4, per ESPN's Hollinger stats). 

Now, with Russell Westbrook returning and Kevin Durant's debut nearing, the hope is that the offense can return to elite status and that balance gets the Thunder back into the playoffs. 

Incomplete Grades

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Due to the amount of time they've missed, some players weren't able to be graded. 

Kevin Durant

According to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman, the reigning MVP is "progressing" and hasn't been ruled out for the team's Dec. 2 clash with the New Orleans Pelicans. 

"Kevin continues to progress well," head coach Scott Brooks said. "Thought he had a really good day and will continue to build on that." 

Despite everything that has transpired in the first five weeks, Oklahoma City's season doesn't truly start until KD is able to lace 'em up. 

Russell Westbrook

Other than the Jurassic World trailer, nothing was more exciting this week than Westbrook's obliteration of the New York Knicks in his first game back from a hand injury. 

The 26-year-old finished with a stat line of 32 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in a mere 24 minutes of action. 

Perry Jones 

After a rough season debut, Jones was on the verge of having a breakout before a knee contusion killed his momentum. Prior to the injury, PJ3 was averaging a career-high 15 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the arc. 

Mitch McGary

McGary was the first of Oklahoma City's battered brood to suffer a serious injury when he fractured his foot in his preseason debut against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 8. Per Slater, the rookie has returned to practice and hasn't been ruled out for the Pelicans game either.

Grant Jerrett

After being sidelined with an ankle injury since the summer, Jerrett made his season debut against the Knicks. He knocked down one of his five attempts from behind the arc to finish with three points.

With McGary inching closer to his regular-season debut and the team's depth up front, Jerrett will have a hard time seeing the floor going forward. 

Ish Smith 

Smith was signed via the hardship exception on Nov. 7. He's played in all of seven games since then, averaging just 1.6 points in 5.6 minutes a night. With Westbrook back, playing time will become even more scarce for the Wake Forest product. 

On the bright side, his performance intrigued the team enough to keep him over Sebastian Telfair. 

PG Sebastian Telfair

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Grade: D+

Upon first glance, that grade seems a bit high, especially considering he's no longer with the team.

However, think about what your expectations were for Sebastian Telfair when you first heard he signed with the Thunder. Prior to coming to Oklahoma City, this was a guy that had bounced all over the place, including NBA stints with seven other teams and a one-year run in China. 

With Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson dominating the point guard minutes, Telfair wasn't supposed to see much of the floor. 

Instead, Westbrook and Jackson suffered early injuries, which allowed Telfair to post his best stat line since the 2008-09 season. Bassy averaged 8.4 points and 2.8 assists in 16 games. He shot 36.8 percent from the field and 30 percent from long range. 

Those numbers aren't eye-popping, but they are better than what you'd expect from a journeyman who has struggled to make an impact during his nine seasons in the league. 

SG Andre Roberson

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Grade: C- 

After missing eight games and barely playing in two others due to a foot sprain, Andre Roberson narrowly escaped an "incomplete" grade. However, the Colorado product has shown enough to earn decent marks. 

Offensively, Roberson is a work in progress. He's averaging 4.8 points per game and shooting 42.1 percent from the field. He has nailed just one out of 15 three-point attempts, making him 3-of-28 from behind the arc (10.7 percent) for his career. 

Defensively, the Thunder might have something here. Per 100 possessions, Roberson is averaging 2.3 blocks and 1.8 steals, while posting a defensive rating of 100. According to 82games.com, the 22-year-old is holding opponents to a 43.6 percent shooting. 

"Dre comes into work, he's hard-nosed, you know what he's gonna bring every night," said center Kendrick Perkins, per Slater. "He's going to come in and lock up on the defensive end. You just love having a guy like that on your team."

When Kevin Durant returns, the Thunder will have enough firepower to compensate for Roberson's shortcomings. Given Scott Brooks' preference to have a defensive-minded guard in the backcourt, Roberson is likely to stay in the starting rotation despite his poor shooting. 

SF Lance Thomas

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Grade: C

Lance Thomas gets extra credit for going from a training camp invite to nabbing the final roster spot to being a key contributor for the Thunder. His numbers (6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds) won't wow you, but his energy and tenacity on the floor should grab your attention. 

"Lance is a hard worker," coach Scott Brooks said, per NBA.com's Nick Gallo. "He's a player that can guard multiple positions. He gives you everything he has and that's what you want."

Thomas has spent most of his career at power forward, despite being a little undersized at 6'8" and 225 pounds. However, in Oklahoma City, he has had to play minutes at the 3 due to the absences of Kevin Durant and Perry Jones. 

"This is a slight adjustment for me. I haven't played the perimeter since high school," Thomas said, per Slater. "On paper, I may be a power forward, but I feel I can play pretty much anywhere on the floor." 

Thomas' blue-collar mentality has been the embodiment of this Thunder team. Like Thomas, Oklahoma City has become a scrappy bunch that refuses to quit, regardless of any limitations. 

When the team returns to full strength, Thomas' versatility will come in handy. He may not put a ton of ink on the stat sheet, but his nonstop motor will certainly show in the win column. 

SG Jeremy Lamb

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Grade: C

In truth, this grade may be a bit generous for a former lottery pick that has failed to shine despite having a golden opportunity to do so this season. Inconsistency has plagued Jeremy Lamb throughout his career. 

On the one hand, he's averaging 12 points per game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and a career-high 39.6 percent from behind the arc. 

However, when you take a look at his game log, you'll see double-digit performances bracketed by numerous disappearances. For instance, prior to scoring 21 points against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 26, Lamb tallied 18 points combined in his three previous outings. 

The key to Lamb's success is confidence. When he gets hot (like in the Jazz game), he can be a valuable weapon for a Thunder squad that needs an offensive boost. When he struggles early, it's like he mentally checks himself out of the game. 

The good news is that the Thunder have other options at shooting guard. Unfortunately, that's also bad news for Lamb. Entering his third season, the UConn product should have established himself as a core piece by now. 

Instead, his struggles with consistency could lead to a drop in the rotation and, eventually, a trip out the door. 

SG Anthony Morrow

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Grade: C+

The Oklahoma City Thunder brought in Anthony Morrow to be a threat on the outside, and he's delivered so far. After missing the first seven games of the season with a MCL sprain, Morrow has averaged 11.7 points per game and shot 38.8 percent from the field. 

With Andre Roberson struggling to find his shot and Jeremy Lamb's inconsistency, Morrow might be the Thunder's best offensive weapon at shooting guard. His stellar outside shooting is especially important to a team that's shooting 33 percent from behind the arc (23rd in the NBA) as a group.

However, Morrow's biggest impact should come when the team returns to full strength. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook drawing most of the defensive attention, there will be plenty of open looks for Morrow to feast on.  

PF Nick Collison

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Grade: D+

Nick Collison hasn't offered much on the offensive end or on the boards for quite some time, so his 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this season shouldn't come as much of a surprise. In fact, those numbers are eerily similar to last year's production (4.2 points, 3.6 boards). 

The real decline can be found in Collison's percentages. After shooting around 70 percent from the free-throw line for most of his career, the 34-year-old is converting a measly 54.5 percent from the charity stripe. 

Also, Collison has managed to shoot above 50 percent from the field in each of the last 10 seasons. This year, that mark is at 36.8 percent. 

The saving grace to Collison's 2014-15 campaign has been his improvement from behind the arc. While he's only attempting around two treys per game, he's converting 33.3 percent of them. 

Beyond the dip in his production, there are a couple of other factors that could hinder Collison's role going forward. The team has a couple of young big men in Grant Jerrett and Mitch McGary. Collison is also in the final year of his contract. 

At some point, wouldn't it make more sense to give the prospects some experience at the expense of an aging player on the decline? 

C Kendrick Perkins

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Grade: C

The decision to take Kendrick Perkins out of the starting rotation and bring him off the bench was long overdue. His lack of speed and scoring ability only hindered the Thunder's fast-paced offense. His sole value to the team was on the defensive end, and it was limited at that.

To Perk's credit, he's adjusted well to his new role. He hasn't sulked over losing his job to developing young big man Steven Adams. He hasn't whined over minutes. If anything, the demotion has actually helped Perkins' career as well as his standing with the team. 

Entering a contract year and coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, the 30-year-old's days in Oklahoma City appeared to be numbered. When you throw in Adams' emergence and Perk's training camp quad injury, things didn't look very promising for the big Texan. 

However, the cagey veteran looks motivated this season, even to the point where he hears "MVP!" chants in his head. He turned back the clock with a 17-point outing against the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 1 while still providing the interior defense he's been known for throughout his career.

C Steven Adams

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Grade: C

Before the season, I wrote that Steven Adams would finish as a top-10 NBA center. 

In retrospect, that may have been jumping the gun a little. 

It's not that Adams has been a disappointment in his second season. It's that he still has some strides to make before reaching the elite status.

To be fair, it's still early and the big Kiwi is already flirting with averaging a double-double (8.1 points, 7.2 rebounds). He's also swatting away 1.2 shots per game. 

For Adams to improve, two aspects of his game need to be developed. First, he's already committed 56 fouls in 17 games, which is fourth-most in the league. He needs to find that fine line between holding his ground in the post and getting whistled for being overly aggressive.

Next, his offensive game still needs some work, and that will be a group effort. Head coach Scott Brooks admitted earlier in the year that he had to do a better job of creating scoring opportunities for his 21-year-old big man, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. 

"I take full blame for that," Brooks said. "I need to put some more opportunities for him to get touches."

However, as Brooks points out, it's Adams' responsibility to convince the team that those extra touches are warranted. 

"And then some of it’s on him. He has to continue to look for the ball and put himself in a position to catch when we do call a play for him."

If he can stay out of foul trouble and show more polish on the offensive end, Adams could be the team's X-factor down the stretch. He's already displayed remarkable grit and toughness. Now, he must make good on the promise he showed in exhibition. 

PF Serge Ibaka

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Grade: B

The first month of Serge Ibaka's season has been good, but not nearly as good as it could've been. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook sidelined, Ibaka was the next-best player on the roster. The door was open for him to take charge. 

Instead, Ibaka played second fiddle to breakout star Reggie Jackson. 

In Ibaka's defense, his stat line of 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game is nothing to turn your nose up at. He's also shown improvement as an outside shooter, averaging a career-high four three-point attempts a night and converting 37.7 percent. 

Still, it's the unfilled potential that is a bit disappointing. In the absence of the team's two biggest stars, there was plenty of opportunity for Ibaka to work toward his first All-Star appearance. Making matters worse, the team's switch to the zone has hindered the Congo native as a shot-blocker, per Slater.

"It's kinda taking away my position for blocked shots," Ibaka said. "I’m more concerned about shooters, corner guys, threes, it’s taking me away from my timing and blocked shots."

It will be interesting to see if that changes once the team is fully healthy. With Durant and Westbrook in the fold, you can live without Ibaka being an offensive force. But how long can you go without a four-time leader in total blocks doing what he does best? 

PG Reggie Jackson

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Grade: A- 

The brilliance of Reggie Jackson's 2014-15 season is open to interpretation. Did Jackson step up his game because this team needed a leader, or was he motivated by a potentially huge payday at the end of the season?

There's certainly evidence to plead either case. 

Prior to Russell Westbrook's return, Jackson was the team's leading scorer, averaging 19.5 points per game. He's also sixth in the NBA with 7.5 assists, quelling some of the criticism that he's a selfish player. He's also posted a respectable player efficiency rating of 17.97, per ESPN's Hollinger stats.

However, there have also been moments that would lead skeptics to question Jackson's intentions. He was famously frozen out by teammates during his season debut for being a little too much of a ball hog, per Mayberry. There was also his poor shot selection late in losses against the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets that makes you wonder if he's trying too hard to be the hero. 

In 14 games this season, Jackson has attempted 241 shots. That's just four less than teammate Serge Ibaka, who has played three more games than Jackson. Only eight players in the NBA average more field-goal attempts than R-Jax's 17.2. 

There's no question that Jackson has been the team's best player. He's put the team on his back and, while mostly unsuccessful, has carried them as far as he could. His knack for forcing the issue and his 26.6 percent mark from three were the only factors that diminished his grade. 

The true test for Jackson starts now with Westbrook relegating him back to a sixth-man role. After showing what he can do as a starter, will he be content watching his stock drop on the bench? 

Note: All stats, unless otherwise noted, are current as of Nov. 30 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.