6 Biggest Takeaways from Oklahoma City Thunder's 1st Half of the Season

The Oklahoma City Thunder have played enough games to shed the “small sample size” label. Players have been in and out of the rotation, but we’ve seen enough basketball to form some opinions of the team. Though the Thunder’s record is underwhelming, there are some positive takeaways from their first half of the season.

Russell Westbrook, for example, has been phenomenal thanks to some better decision-making and improved efficiency. Steven Adams is another player who has shown signs of putting it all together with a few standout performances. Likewise, Serge Ibaka has added a new weapon to his offensive arsenal—the three-pointer—and he’s become a dangerous floor-spacer for the offense.

It’s not all good, of course. After a strong December, it looked as though OKC had solidified its grasp on a playoff spot. That grip has weakened, and the Thunder are now on the outside looking in. A playoff spot is far from guaranteed, and the team has no margin for error.

Here are the six biggest takeaways from an eventful first half of the season for the Thunder.

They Have a Fight on Their Hands for the 8th Seed

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It’s tough to bounce back from injuries to two superstars, but that’s what the Thunder did in December. They started the month at 5-12, but OKC went 11-5 with Kevin Durant and Westbrook to climb to 16-17 by the end of 2014. At that point, they were only one-and-a-half games behind the Phoenix Suns, and it looked like it was only a matter of time before the Thunder usurped the Suns as the eighth seed for good.

If only it were that simple. Phoenix has been playing extremely well and added Brandan Wright to shore up its frontcourt rotation. On the flip side, the Thunder have been struggling to find much of a rhythm against a tough schedule. The New Orleans Pelicans (who have won both meetings against OKC so far this season) are also hovering around a playoff spot despite dealing with injury issues of their own.

The Thunder still look like the best bet to sneak into that eighth seed, but they’ll have to play very well to get there, and it is far from guaranteed.

Russell Westbrook’s Next Step

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We’ve seen a minor regression in recent weeks, but that doesn’t negate just how brilliant Westbrook has been over the first half of the season. The numbers are ridiculous: 24.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 3.8 turnovers in 32.1 minutes per game.

He’s one of eight players in NBA history to post those raw numbers, and the club gets even smaller when you account for his limited minutes.

His critics are quick to point out careless turnovers and poor shot selection, both of which are recurring issues for Westbrook. But he’s toned down that kind of bad decision-making and has generally been in attack mode this season.

He still has room to keep growing, but Thunder fans should be thrilled to see how Westbrook has improved this year.

Serge Ibaka’s Three-Point Shooting

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It’s clear that Ibaka will never be a low-post scorer, but that doesn’t mean that his offensive game is limited. Over the years, the big man has turned himself into one of the league’s deadliest mid-range shooters, and he’s extended his range beyond the three-point line this year.

Ibaka has already made more threes this year than he had ever attempted in a previous season, and he’s knocking them down at a tremendous 40 percent clip. That percentage is good for 14th-best in the league for players who have taken more than 150 threes, and it makes him a dangerous weapon in this OKC offense.

While it has had the unwelcome effect of dragging Ibaka away from the offensive glass and from touches in the paint (where his length and athleticism make his shots nearly unblockable), he’s already such a sharpshooter from long range that it’s a trade-off you can live with.

Hopefully, he finds a way to balance his long-range shooting with his ability to finish around the rim on cuts and rolls, but Ibaka’s newest toy adds a potent element to OKC’s offense.

Kevin Durant’s Injuries

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This could end up being nothing, but it has been unnerving to see Durant sidelined by a number of medical issues. The most serious of these was clearly the Jones fracture that caused him to miss 17 games, but he also suffered a sprained ankle (six games) and most recently a sprained big toe.

The last two injuries are relatively minor and could merely be random occurrences, but it’s unsettling for a player who had only missed two games in the last three seasons. Regardless of the cause, it is certainly a relief to see the Thunder coaching staff limiting his minutes. Durant had played more than 38.5 minutes per game in each of the last six seasons, so the injuries may be a product of fatigue more than anything else.

Even though he’s still relatively young at 26, it’s important to keep him fresh for the games that matter most.

Flashes of Steven Adams’ All-Around Game

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Steven Adams surprised everyone with his performance last year, and the big man has built off a strong rookie season. The overall numbers are unspectacular, but Adams continues to play solid defense, and he’s shown flashes of brilliance. His 16-point, 15-rebound performance against the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day was one of those flashes where his all-around game was clicking.

At this point, you can count on him to play tough, physical defense and to do the dirty work on the glass, but his potential is intriguing. Like Ibaka, he may never become an offensive force in the low post, but he already has more natural feel as a post scorer, and he has soft hands around the rim.

Furthermore, his athleticism helps him get easy buckets by keeping up with the other athletes on the roster in transition. His inexperience reveals itself on the defensive end at times, as he is sometimes late on his rotations, but he keeps improving and is already one of the best young centers in the game. It’s only Year 2, but the future looks bright for the New Zealander.

Shooting Guard Is Still a Question Mark

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The shooting guard position has been a hole in the roster ever since the James Harden trade, and it is still a question mark today.

Andre Roberson has replaced Thabo Sefolosha as the lockdown perimeter defender in the starting unit, but he has also replicated Sefolosha’s shooting touch (or lack thereof). Roberson’s defense is very valuable, but he’s going to kill any semblance of spacing in the playoffs if he continues to play 20 minutes per game.

Anthony Morrow poses the opposite problem, providing an excellent three-point threat while consistently getting burned on the defensive end. Head coach Scott Brooks is again having to think about whether he wants defense or offense out of the position instead of having a reliable two-way option.

And then there’s Jeremy Lamb, who has just about worn out his welcome in OKC. His inconsistency has been maddening, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be the athletic, two-way wing the Thunder front office was hoping for.

All these questions at the position caused general manager Sam Presti to make a trade for Dion Waiters, but he brings plenty of questions on his own. Waiters has been decent so far, but he’s still getting accustomed to his role on the team and his spot in the pecking order.

The shooting guard spot has been a position of weakness for OKC in recent years, and the trend has continued so far this season.