What's Taking Oklahoma City Thunder so Long to Turn Things Around?

After a November in which reigning MVP Kevin Durant and star sidekick Russell Westbrook were sidelined by injuries, the once-dominant Oklahoma City Thunder are 18-19 and—like the New Orleans Pelicans—still 2.5 games behind the No. 8-seeded Phoenix Suns.

In short, things haven't exactly gone according to plan.

Head coach Scott Brooks' club ranks 22nd in offensive efficiency, posting 101.1 points per 100 possessions according to Hollinger Team Stats. Were it not for a top-10 defense, OKC's plight would be even worse. But without its superstar talent in top form, this club is all too mortal.

There's probably a simple enough explanation for the protracted struggles. After his season debut was delayed until Dec. 2 on account of a fractured foot, Durant missed another six games last month due to a sprained ankle. In total, the Thunder are 8-15 without the 26-year-old and 4-10 when he and Westbrook were both out.

Given the production for which these two account, that's not especially surprising.

Player	MIN	PPG	FG%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG
Durant	30.4	25.0	52.2	6.2	3.6	.79	.86
Westbrook	31.0	26.2	43.0	5.6	7.1	2.17	.04

The bigger concern is that Oklahoma City hasn't completely turned the corner even when healthy, evidenced most recently by last week's 104-83 loss to the Sacramento Kings—a particularly disappointing outcome two days after succumbing 117-91 at the hands of the 29-5 Golden State Warriors. 

"We found the good shots but couldn't hit them tonight," Durant told reporters after the Kings game. "When you get down 25-7 that's when you start to rush and turn the ball over. So we have to go back to the drawing board and get our next one."  

The Thunder did just that, stopping the bleeding with a modest 99-94 victory against the 13-25 Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, that's not much of a barometer for how last season's Western Conference runner-up will fare this time around. Nor is a postseason appearance any guarantee. Talented as this rotation is, it has some serious competition from the likes of the Suns, Pelicans and Kings.

Brooks' roster may be impressive on paper—especially with the recent acquisition of Dion Waiters via a three-team trade—but the results have been anything but. And this is no time to underachieve.

The hope is that Waiters will actually make a difference. Having become something of an afterthought in the star-studded Cleveland Cavaliers rotation, the 23-year-old is hoping a change of scenery can reboot his career and make good on the promise one would expect from someone taken with the No. 4 overall pick in 2012.

After two games in OKC, he seems optimistic about his chances.

"It's a lot different," Waiters told reporters of his new environs. "I'm able to play. I don't got to look over my shoulder, anything like that, if I make a mistake. Coaches tell me to play, be aggressive. Be me. Once you get told that, the game's easy."

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

General manager Sam Presti's thinking behind the move—which only cost the organization Lance Thomas and a protected first-round pick—is simple enough. Waiters could in theory become a poor man's James Harden, the stellar third wheel who once helped Oklahoma City reach the NBA Finals in 2012.

"I'm excited about bringing Dion aboard," Durant told reporters after learning of the deal last week. "A guy that has a lot of toughness. Being from the East Coast, I know a lot about Philadelphia, South Philly, where he comes from. Those guys are tough, and they play with an edge. And that's what we need here.

"Just knowing him from playing against him. We're gonna make him feel wanted. I don't think he felt that the last couple years. He's gonna fit in well. He's gonna get comfortable real quick. It's on the leaders—Russell, myself, Nick [Collison]—to make him feel at home and feel special and let him play his game."

If there's a criticism of Brooks' coaching philosophy—and there's been no shortage, right or wrong—it's that he lets his players play their games a little too much. This team doesn't boast an especially structured half-court offense, instead counting on individual talent to carry the load. Not a San Antonio Spurs-like affair, but one that's nevertheless proven pretty effective at the highest levels of competition.

So far, anyway.

The good news is that this is still the kind of team that could go all the way regardless of the seed it earns. It has the leadership and pedigree that's been there before, and an opening-round matchup against a team like the Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers or Memphis Grizzlies wouldn't be an inherently insurmountable challenge by any means—even if it might seem otherwise at the moment.

Maybe Waiters will help. Maybe it's just a matter of getting Durant getting back to the kind of rhythm and dominance that set him apart a season ago.

The rest of the onus may fall on Brooks himself. Much has been made of his uncreative playbook. And he may need a new one to get out of this bind.

By now, all other hope may be lost.