Steven Mercado
The Rain Preventing the Thunder’s Parade
On Tuesday morning, Kevin Durant was deservedly awarded the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. Later that day,…
…he delivered an emotional acceptance speech that basketball fans will always remember. A speech filled with gratitude, humility and class showed he is not just another NBA star and does not just play for himself, but also for those he loves and cares about.
Durant will always be a winner in my books. A championship would only be a fitting finale to an amazing year for the MVP.
It’s too bad he won’t be winning a title this year. In fact, he will not be winning a title at all as long as he is teammates with Russell Westbrook.
There is no doubt that Westbrook is a star and continues to evolve the more he plays. In the 2013-14 season, the all-star point guard averaged 21.8 points per game, 6.9 assists per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. He is also a player who ignites the Oklahoma City crowd with his ability to spark runs with his energy and streaky shooting.
However, he’s a guy who demands the ball and keeps it for too long. After the Memphis Grizzlies took the 3-2 series lead against the Thunder in round one of the NBA Playoffs, ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh released an article the next day that said in those five games against the Grizzlies, Westbrook held the ball for 8.5 seconds per possession.
When you have your point guard eating up more than a third of the shot clock on his own, there is an issue that must be fixed. But this is how Westbrook plays. He is an isolation player.
Durant always finds a way to score, but because he is the team’s best player and the NBA’s best scorer, he demands the ball as well. 32 points a game does not come from simply catching and shooting the ball all the time. So, how can Durant and Westbrook share the court effectively to the point that it will bring OKC their first title?
The answer is simple: they can’t.
The Thunder have been able to stay in the top few seeds of the Western Conference for the past few years. This season, Durant and Westbrook combined to average 53.8 points per game out of the team’s 106.2 points per game. During the 2014 playoffs thus far, the duo combines for an average of 56.2 points of the team’s 103.6 per game.
But the Thunder’s offensive strategy has not and will continue to not work against the elite teams in the NBA. Last year, the San Antonio Spurs’ balanced attack on both sides of the ball was too much for Oklahoma City. With Durant and Westbrook running isolations or taking their defenders one-on-one the majority of the time, their offense is mostly just two deep.
The Spurs are all about team ball and right now, they have five players on the floor playing as one unit and they are doing it masterfully. Their ball movement and offensive efficiency is superb that will beat the Thunder’s isolation game nine times out of 10. In fact, San Antonio looks like they are on a path to redemption in the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City is one piece away from being legitimate title contenders. Westbrook needs to be done away with. He is a great offensive talent and has quick hands on defense, but he shoots far too much on a team where Durant is the man. Russ needs to be traded to a team where he can be the main offensive threat with a solid force on the inside and several good role players around him.
The Thunder need an elite big man to establish a significant presence in the paint. Reggie Jackson filled in quite well for Westbrook when he was out with a knee injury and would be a solid starter for OKC.
If the Thunder can make the deal to get a legitimate big man, they will be ready for their first championship. Until then, watch out for the Spurs coming out of the West this postseason, as they are currently firing on all cylinders.
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