Oklahoma City Thunder's 10 Best Highlights of the 2014-15 Season to Date

Not only are the Oklahoma City Thunder one of the best teams in the NBA when healthy, but they are also one of the league’s most entertaining clubs.

Russell Westbrook is a walking highlight factory thanks to his combination of superhuman athleticism, unbridled energy and his penchant for making the ridiculous look easy. Kevin Durant is no slouch either, with filthy handles for a 7-footer and a silky smooth game.

Those two normally dominate the highlight reels, but there are some new faces on the list as Westbrook and Durant have missed significant chunks of the season. Reggie Jackson took over as the primary playmaker in their absence, and he delivered with his own highlights.

Jeremy Lamb, Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka also grace the list, but their place in these rankings will probably be short-lived. Durant is rounding into form, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts generating spectacular plays on a regular basis. Westbrook already dominates the rankings with four highlights in the following slides.

Ranking highlights is always an extremely subjective exercise, but the following clips are ranked according to difficulty and aesthetic value.

The early season has been more than a little disappointing for OKC fans, so it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the show as the Thunder regain their mojo.

Honorable Mention: Reggie Jackson Puts the Jazz in the Spin Cycle

Reggie Jackson was phenomenal as the starting point guard, mostly because of his ability to get to the rim at will. He’s a force off the pick-and-roll, and he’s even tougher to handle in transition—as he shows here against the Utah Jazz.

Jackson gets the ball before half court, crosses up the initial defender and then slices through the defense with a gorgeous spin move.

This play couldn't crack the top 10, but it was too pretty to leave off the list entirely.

10. Pick-and-Roll Perfection with Westbrook and Adams

Russell Westbrook generally makes highlights with his thunderous dunks, but this time he earns his place because of a beautiful pick-and-roll with Steven Adams.

Adams is a physical screen-setter, and Westbrook flies off the pick with dangerous intentions. As the defense scrambles to contain the uncontainable locomotive, everyone forgets about Adams. The big man dives toward the rim, inhales the bullet pass from Westbrook and throws it down with authority.

It’s not necessarily a jaw-dropping play, but it’s beautiful basketball and top-notch execution. Hopefully we’ll see more of this as the season progresses.

9. OKC Block Party

You won’t see many sequences like this one, but this epitomizes the Thunder without Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Even without their stars, the team played with effort and heart.

This highlight starts with Jeremy Lamb getting a hand on a James Harden fadeaway, which falls short and into the hands of Dwight Howard near the rim.

Normally that’s death for defenses, but Steven Adams steps up and swats away Howard’s layup attempt. Even then, the rejection goes straight to Tarik Black, who gets Houston’s third attempt at finding the bottom of the net. Serge Ibaka emphatically ends the possession, slapping the shot out near midcourt and start a fast break the other way.

It’s rare to see three blocks in the same play, especially by three separate defenders. Only the last block looks particularly highlight-worthy, but the combination of all three Thunder defenders making a play warrants a spot on the rankings.

8. Durant’s No-Look Pass to Steven Adams

Kevin Durant is still rounding his way back into shape, but that hasn't stopped him from making a few beautiful plays.

When Durant drives, all eyes are on him, and he capitalizes on that by dropping the no-look dime to a wide-open Steven Adams who caps it off with a dunk.

Durant’s handles and passing have been the slowest pieces of his game to get back on track, so it’s a relief to see him making these kinds of plays. This was his only entry on the list, but that won’t last very long.

7. Jackson Throws Down the And-1 Jam

Reggie Jackson turns the corner on the screen to find three Warrior defenders standing between him and the rim. Then he does what any of us would do: He blows by them all and throws down a vicious slam dunk while getting slapped in the head and drawing the foul.

Like I said, exactly what any of us would do.

6. Westbrook Evades the Trap and Unleashes a Big-Time Slam

The New York Knicks have been horrendous on defense this season, so you can understand why it’s completely baffling to see that they almost completed the impossible feat of corralling Russell Westbrook off a pick.

Almost.

It appears the Knicks are in great position to trap Westbrook in the corner and force him to pass the ball, but they leave the scene of the crime too soon and reveal a narrow path to the basket for Westbrook.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, Westbrook excels at finding those creases, and he explodes through it to put away a powerful two-hander. Maybe next time, New York.

5. Jackson with the Killer Crossover and Slam

The one-handed tomahawk jam is an elegant end to this play, but it’s the crossover that merits such a high spot on this list.

Reggie Jackson looks so smooth compared to Brook Lopez, and he absolutely freezes the lumbering big man with a lethal left-to-right crossover.

After that, the seas parted and Jackson knew exactly what to do with his good fortune.

4. Lamb Soars and Throws Down

This is far from difficult. The uncontested slam dunk is about as easy as it comes for an NBA player, but it’s the visuals of this play that are so impressive.

Jeremy Lamb is a lanky player anyway, but he glides through the air like an enormous flying squirrel on this jam. He takes off on the edge of the low block, and it seems like he keeps rising even after he dunks the ball.

The ease of the play puts it out of the top three, but it’s just beautiful to watch.

3. Westbrook Stuns the Blazers at the Buzzer

Where to start? First, just marvel at Russell Westbrook's recognition and competitiveness. The Blazers get an open dunk near the end of the quarter, and many players would have just given up and tried to fling up a contested half-court attempt at the buzzer.

But Westbrook sees the numbers are in his favor and immediately takes off in the other direction.

Then, enjoy his blazing speed. He outruns everybody else on the court, going from half court to the rim in less than two seconds using only two dribbles.

There aren't many players in the NBA who could make this play. In fact, Westbrook might be the only one with the combination of speed and power to create this piece of art.

2. Ibaka Elevates and Detonates

You don't have to watch OKC basketball for long to see Serge Ibaka was born to do this.

Set aside the velvety jump shot or the innate sense of timing as a shot-blocker; just as a physical specimen, Ibaka was meant to play basketball.

This play is a perfect example of that fact.

There aren't many borderline 7-footers who could translate power to jumping quite like this. Ibaka is wide-open off the pick-and-roll, but he doesn't even use his handles as he takes off from the dotted circle to demolish the rim.

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are rightfully celebrated for the athletic freaks they are, but Ibaka doesn't get enough credit for his physical gifts.

With more plays like this, maybe he'll start to earn his due.

1. Westbrook Hates Rims

Everything about this is perfect.

There's the initial change of pace that freezes the Detroit Pistons defense and opens a lane to the rim. Then there's the cute fact that Andre Drummond, a 7-foot behemoth, thinks he has a chance of stopping it.

Russell Westbrook is an unstoppable freight train when he's going to the bucket, and on this play he annihilates that poor rim.

The dunk is not truly "on" Drummond, but that's mostly because of Westbrook's speed and leaping ability.

This could very well be the dunk of the year so far, so it's only fitting it tops this list—until Westbrook does something even crazier.