Revamped Bench Gives OKC Thunder a Fighting Chance for the 2015 NBA Playoffs
One of the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest strengths is a revamped second unit that is arguably the deepest in franchise history. The ability to lean on the bench in order to overcome injuries and keep the offensive momentum going gives OKC a much-needed advantage as the playoffs near.
The basketball gods have given the Thunder every reason to not be in the postseason mix with 15 games remaining.
Russell Westbrook missed the first month of the season with a broken hand. Kevin Durant has played just 27 games all year, and Serge Ibaka will miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee, per ESPN.com's Royce Young. Despite the latest loss of the team's best defensive player, general manager Sam Presti is confident the Thunder can overcome this setback, per the club's official announcement on NBA.com.
"We have to do some accounting for the fact that we won't have Serge going forward, but we feel really good about the team that we have, and I feel that our standard of play should continue to be where it's been, and our focus and our goals as to what guides our success remain unchanged." Presti said.
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With Ibaka out, nearly every notable player on the Thunder roster has now missed time with some unfortunate ailment.
| Kevin Durant | 40 |
| Russell Westbrook | 15 |
| Serge Ibaka | 3 |
| Steven Adams | 12 |
| Anthony Morrow | 8 |
| Nick Collison | 7 |
| Andre Roberson | 8 |
| Enes Kanter | 1 |
| Mitch McGary | 48 |
However, despite the bad luck, Oklahoma City is currently tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth seed in the Western Conference at 37-30, with the Pels owning the tie-breaker. A large part of OKC being able to stay afloat has been Westbrook's MVP-caliber heroics, but the emergence of a re-tooled reserve squad has played a role, as well.
While the Ibaka injury is a tough break, the team has depth up front in Enes Kanter, Steven Adams and rookie Mitch McGary to be able to fill the void.
The three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons on Feb. 19 will be remembered as the moment the Thunder finally got an offensive big man in Enes Kanter, but the inclusion of D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and Steve Novak was also important because it helped a short-handed club gain some depth.
The team is also getting contributions from other key reserves such as Dion Waiters, McGary, Nick Collison, Anthony Morrow and Adams. Waiters was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in January, and is another example of Presti using the trade market to upgrade the second unit. It's a kind of midseason aggressiveness we haven't seen in past years, but has become a theme this time.
The improved unit represents a change in philosophy. For years, the Thunder's bench attack has been dependent on one man leading the charge, be it Jackson or Kevin Martin or James Harden. It's a strategy that was horribly flawed.
In the past, it was easy to overlook this issue because the team had two of the league's most explosive scorers in Durant and Westbrook, but, if any of the Thunder's stud sixth-men had an off night, the pressure was on the dynamic duo to compensate. This created a lopsided offensive attacked that forced the Thunder buddies to do too much. If the pair wasn't great on a nightly basis, the chances of the team pulling off the W were slim.
This season, OKC hasn't had that luxury thanks to Durant missing most of the year with foot troubles. Compounding the issue, both Waiters and Jackson struggled to consistently provide that Harden-like presence. As a result, the Thunder were forced to call an audible in order to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Now, instead of one guy designated to lead the charge, the scoring is spread among a capable committee, as Jeremy Lambert of ThunderousIntentions.com points out.
"Now the OKC bench consists of Augustin, Waiters, Morrow, Collison, and Kanter (although he’s challenging for Adams’ starting spot with the way he’s playing right now) as the first five with Mitch McMcGary and Singler as reliable 11th and 12th players. On any given night, four of those five players could score 15-20 points that OKC typically got from Harden, Martin, or Jackson. And even if they don’t match that high level of production, all four are good enough to get at least 6-10 points a night.
OKC has never had this. They relied so much on their one bench scoring guard that if he wasn't giving them 15-20 a game, chances are they would lose.
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Every member of the Thunder's second unit brings something different to the table.
Waiters is a slashing guard who can create offense for himself. Morrow is an excellent outside shooter, as evidenced by his career 42.5 percent mark from three. Adams, who was in danger of being Wally Pipp'd by Kanter before the team opted to start the two together, is averaging eight points and 7.8 boards since coming back from a broken hand on March 8. McGary, while playing just 15.2 minutes per night, is a high-energy big man contributing 7.1 points and 5.3 boards per game.
Since the Kanter trade, the Thunder's bench has out-scored the opposing team's reserves nine times in 13 games. During that span, the second unit is averaging 40.5 points per game. In the 13 games prior to the deal, the "B" team was contributing just 31.4 points. The Thunder also lead the league in outstanding bench celebrations.
In the team's 105-92 trouncing of the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 24, the Thunder won the offensive battle of the benches, 45-30. Afterwards, Collison was quick to give the second unit its props, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
"You can see we jump right in. Guys haven’t played with each other and it looks pretty good. Guys can pass and cut and they have a good idea of how to play. We’re really deep. Probably the deepest we've been. Absolutely everybody on the team can play. It’s a ton of talent here.
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The depth Collison referred to has come in handy with all of the injuries the team has suffered throughout the year. When a key player has gone down, there has always been someone ready to step up. The team is 5-5 since the win over the Pacers, but could easily be 9-1 if not for some bad late-game breaks.
Kanter took over the starting center job for the previously-injured Adams on Feb. 21 and has averaged 16 points and 10.2 rebounds over that span of time.
When Westbrook was forced to miss the March 1 clash with Los Angeles Lakers due to a face fracture, Augustin led the Thunder to victory with a stat line of 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Even seldom-used prospects Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones have had moments where they've come up big in relief this season. Jones was averaging 15 points per game at the start of the season before suffering a knee injury, while Lamb put together a string of strong performances in late-November and early-December.
Those opportunities to shine will pay dividends in the postseason. If or when the team returns to full strength, it will have a roster of 15 guys who have all played a contributing role at some point in the year.
How many other teams in the NBA can say the same thing?
Despite key injuries threatening its championship hopes, the Oklahoma City Thunder has refused to wave the white flag on this season.
A suddenly-loaded group of reserves has helped keep the Thunder afloat in a tough Western Conference and will continue to give the team an advantage once everyone is healthy.
The combination of improved depth and Russell Westbrook's stellar play might be enough to get Oklahoma City into the playoffs, while the potential healthy return of Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka by the postseason gives the team a much higher ceiling.
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