NBA: Does OKC need another superstar to go all the way?
Prior to the 2013-2014 season, Russell Westbrook underwent a second surgery on his right knee which not only set back his return to basketball but also puts serious doubts on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s chances of winning it all this season.
Averaging 23.2 points and 7.4 assists per game, Westbrook along with Kevin Durant were a pair who was on a consistent basis trusted and given the responsibility of taking the Thunder to victory. Westbrook’s talent allows him to pass the orange to teammates with good looks and at the same time take over the game himself on his night.
Despite a 2-0 start to the pre-season, Westbrook’s absence and Kevin Martin’s trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves would certainly hurt the Thunder on Offense. Against good defensive teams, the Thunder would not find it easy to end up as the winning side as they would simply shut Durant out and ask him to shoot jump shots he is not comfortable with.
The Thunder performance in the Conference semis against Memphis Grizzlies was one disappointing to say the least. With the absence of Westbrook, the Grizzlies simply shut down Durant and posed questions to the rest of the team who failed to stand up to the challenge with the Thunder eventually losing the best of seven game series to the Grizzlies in 5.
These concerns raise the question: Does OKC need another superstar to go all the way.
There is just a yes or no to this and despite some having their reasons to say no, it is quite clear from the Playoff series against Memphis Grizzlies that the Thunder cannot rely on Durant alone. Expecting the whole roster to step up their game in order to fill the void left by Westbrook is asking too much.
After having a look at the roster and the concluded pre-season games, indications are quite clear which players are fighting to be Durant’s new partner in crime until Westbrook is back.
Reggie Jackson:
Oklahoma City Thunder’s new starting point guard Reggie Jackson
A hot favorite to be the new number two in the Oklahoma City ranks. He was drafted as the 24th overall in the 2011 Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. His performance in the Playoffs last season and also in the two pre-season games has been enough to earn head coach Scott Brook’s trust for more minutes. In his two seasons with the Thunder he would play for a mere 14.2 minutes per game and average 1.7 assists to go along with 5.3 points.
However in the Playoffs with Westbrook injured he got to play 33.5 minutes per game as a starter point guard and impressed all averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. He came up big in the second pre-season game played at Manchester against Philadelphia 76ers scoring a game high 29 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing 8 assists.
In his new role as a starting point guard he has the chance to grow as a player and develop into an offensive threat by dishing assists on good looks to Durant and also score himself in a starting line-up which consists of two one dimensional defensive players in Thabo Sefolasha and Kendrick Perkins from whom consistent healthy contributions cannot be expected.
Serge Ibaka:
Thunder’s beast in the paint and developing offensive player Serge Ibaka
In his fifth season with the Thunder, the Spanish national is known more for his shot blocking and rebounding, rather than offensive production. He averaged in and around double figures the first three seasons in the NBA, however last season saw a rise in his offensive game as he averaged a career high of 13.2 points per game.
In his years in the league with the Thunder, his efforts have always been overlooked with James Harden or Kevin Martin due to the lack of his offensive production in the game. Another career high in the past season for Ibaka was his field goal percentage and we should see a further increase in both(points per game and field goal percentage) the categories with Westbrook’s absence.
To become a true superstar, his figures in quite a few categories need to increase but lets face it, at the end what all look for are-points, rebound, assists, blocks and the impact of the player on the game. Serge Ibaka is an absolute beast when it comes to shotblocking and his all round has been on the rise all through his career.
Who is it going to be, Serge Ibaka or Reggie Jackson?
We’ll find out soon enough in 3 weeks time, when the Thunder face the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road.