Empty the Bench

By: Zachariah Blott

ETB contributor Zach Blott is back with the latest installment in our ongoing “The Kids are Alright” series, this time checking in with the Oklahoma City Thunder and everybody’s favorite young trio of Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Be sure to check out the other articles from this series on the Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers.

Why They’re Worth Watching: Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook. Jeff Green. James Harden. This isn’t a bad list, and it’s probably three names longer than most people need. Durant is all but in the upper-stratum of players who the average fan wants to watch. LeBron, D-Wade, Kobe…who else are people more excited to see highlights of? Chris Paul? Dwight Howard? Carmelo Anthony? Steve Nash? The Durantula uses explosive drives and a spindly mess of limbs to throw down improbable dunks in traffic and to toss up long 3’s on his way to 27 ppg and the adulation of the entire Midwest.

Russell Westbrook photo credit: Icon SMI

Westbrook is possibly the smartest point guard who posts a sub-par A/TO rate (7.3-4.3), primarily due to his stellar defense. Green is the type of player who does a lot of things well, none of them great, and the result is actually really good. FreeDarko described him as “Jeff Green-ing his way to Jeff Green-ness” (down below the creepy black and white photo) – which makes sense when you see him play. Harden is the new kid on the block who is an extremely creative scorer, even without much athleticism. With a lot of learning left to do and only 17 minutes of burn per game off the bench, Harden is hitting 44% of his 3’s and has an absolutely sick 3.5-0.6 A/TO rate. Forgotten in this young group is 6-7 SG Thabo Sefolosha, a brilliant defender who is hitting the shots he’s been given up to this point (45% FG, 53% 3FG).

The team’s new-found commitment to the defensive end, including Durant’s, is helping the Thunder cut down on opponents’ layups and forcing them into 29% shooting from behind the arc. Throw in new backup C Etan Thomas, who is all defense, and Oklahoma City is sporting one of the league’s best Defensive Ratings (97.3 points per 100 possessions). By improving significantly on this end of the floor, the Thunder reached their 4th win 25 games sooner than last year (do the math – they really did start that poorly one season ago).

What’s the Plan?: Head Coach Scott Brooks talked to the players about defense in the offseason, and it’s working. The energy they’re putting into stopping opponents is resulting in a lot of turnovers and bad shots. The front office wisely added defensive stalwarts Thomas and Sefolosha over the past year, and been-everywhere PG Kevin Ollie is an intelligent veteran who brings a lot of value on and off the court to such a green team.

The more obvious plan is to pick up young, exciting pieces and let them mature. Durant, Westbrook, Green, and Harden were all top-5 picks over the last three drafts, and none of them has the foul scent of bust. As they continue to play together and learn the game, the Thunder should improve their record in each coming season. They have tons of money sitting around, so they could make a real push for a big-time free agent during the summer. What do they need? Time more than anything, but a true sharp shooter or two wouldn’t hurt. Neither would a decent starting center who can get the easy buckets.

Projecting the future in Oklahoma City, after the jump …

How the Future Looks: The future looks brighter than the recent past, that’s for sure. Since the 2004-05 season, they’ve posted win totals of 35, 31, 20, and 23. So far in this campaign they’re 4-4, so that has to be encouraging for fans. The group of youngsters they’ve assembled brings optimism and helps fill seats for soulless owner Clay Bennett (Watch Sonicsgate if you have a couple hours – great image at the 2:05 mark of this trailer).

There is definitely a guarded optimism in Oklahoma’s media, though. Although the team is 4-4, three of their wins came against clubs missing stars. Detroit’s Richard Hamilton, Orlando’s Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis, and the Clippers’ Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon never suited up against the Thunder in losses. OKC’s one other win was opening night against the Kings, who then downed the Thunder two weeks later without the services of Kevin Martin (31 ppg). That being said, they are a far cry from the 3-29 record they started with last year and they did manage to take the Pau Gasol-less Lakers to OT.

Durant has taken some recent media heat for only being a highlight reel player, not a winner, prompting others to chime in about his questionable rebounding, passing, and defense. He has the size, skill, and passion to change all of this and become a complete star, and his defense is vastly improved through the first eight games of 2009-10. If he can get it all clicking someday, Durant could become something of a Carmello-Garnett freak that leads this club to great heights.

With maturity and hopefully GM Sam Presti’s ability to bring in some shooters, the Thunder are on their way to a Western Conference playoff birth sometime in the next few years. They have a great core to build around, which will only perform better with the addition of more veteran role players over the next year. The Northwest Division is a little crowded at this point, but crowds always have a way of making room for a team with this much buzz and swagger.

Zachariah Blott is a dish best served cold.

More from The Kids are Alright Series:
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Detroit Pistons
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Sacramento Kings