You can’t sit through an Oklahoma City Thunder game without confronting the question of whether Russell Westbrook will average a triple-double for the season. It’s too historic. It’s too previously unfathomable. And watching him play is just too physically impressive not to focus on his individual quest.
But while the fans and media clamor about whether or not Westbrook can get a triple-double in any given game, the Thunder have to reckon with the fact that they need him to.
A little over four months into a post-Durant world and the Thunder can’t keep their head above water when Westbrook isn’t far and away the best player on the court. The Thunder are a lock to make the playoffs despite the fact that they have lost two thirds of the games in which he hasn’t recorded a triple-double. That’s a staggering level of dependence on him.
Despite a winning record, the cracks are apparent in Oklahoma City and plenty of signs point towards them being overwhelmed come playoff time. It’s March, and the Thunder have yet to find a lineup that they can be confident in. That’s largely a talent problem, but it’s not too late for their supporting cast to begin to forge an identity.
Sure, there’s the small possibility that Westbrook’s wild, explosive style of play is going to prove difficult to build around because it’s hard for teammates to find consistent rhythm when they’re playing in constant reaction to his unpredictability. The fact that his defensive decisions can sway drastically with his emotions probably doesn’t help either.
But the notion that Oklahoma City's inconsistency is on the shoulders of Westbrook is not a column I’m interested in writing while he’s having arguably the most impressive statistical seasons in NBA history. What’s more apparent is that this is the first time in Westbrook’s career that a roster is being constructed specifically around him. It’s a unique challenge for the Thunder front office—one that plenty of other front offices would be happy to struggle with. A handful of months into Westbrook’s astonishing season Oklahoma City should be taking stock in what works and what doesn’t, instead of sitting back and enjoying the ride like the rest of us.
Doug McDermott and Jerami Grant are by no means final pieces to a contending team, but they might finally be role players good enough to execute alongside Westbrook.
If we are to assume consistent production from Steven Adams and reliable secondary scoring from Victor Oladipo—a generous assumption for Oladipo—then they are still left with a supporting cast of players so one-dimensional they are constant liabilities.
Andre Roberson is shooting 26 percent from three this season. Alex Abrines can shoot but is constantly targeted and scored on by offenses. Enes Kanter is arguably the worst defensive center in the league. Taj Gibson doesn’t offer any rim protection. Domantas Sabonis is a big man shooting 41 percent who isn't quick enough to guard small-ball power forwards.
Roberson, Kanter, Saboinis, Abrines, Gibson, and Norris Cole are the types of players who could likely capitalize on the opportunities available playing with two elite superstars. But without Durant on the floor those players are not going to bring the same kinds of returns. Leaning on them as contributors is a conservative move, but it comes with a disappointingly low ceiling.
The Thunder acquired Grant from Philadelphia for Ersan Ilyasova earlier this season. He’s been in and out of the rotation, averaging 21 minutes per game. He’s the second best athlete on the team behind Westbrook. He can grow into a great defender and actually shoots 37 percent from three. It would make more sense to let him grow into a consistent role along Westbrook and ask him to try to do most of the things that Roberson, Arbines and Kyle Singler do rather than ask each of those players to perform their hyper-specific roles while being exposed for their weaknesses.
McDermott was acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline. Cam Payne, who went to the Bulls in the trade, was never going to thrive playing with Westbrook. The Thunder have to make sure the same can’t be said of McDermott. He’s a terrific spot up shooter, a secondary scorer who can come off screens and score off pin-downs and post-ups. He can capitalize on Westbrook’s penetration, but isn’t completely dependent on someone creating for him. Billy Donovan will have to find a way to keep a scorer like McDermott involved in an offense dictated by whatever Westbrook feels like doing.
Before the Thunder’s recent game in Dallas, Donovan talked about the frustrations and necessity of initiating new players into the rotation.
“The hard part is, there’s never a great time to put a [new] guy in because when you do it rotation, minutes, and everything kind of gets out of whack,” Donovan said. “But you have to do it because if you’re trying to capitalize on somebody that’s coming in as a new edition, the longer you wait, the less opportunity and experience they get playing. And sometimes you have to take some steps back before you can take some steps forward.”
Grant and McDermott represent the one-step-back, two-steps-forward strategy. They are reasonable pieces that can complement Westbrook in the future. They can have a say in a game’s outcome alongside him. The Thunder sit comfortably in the seventh seed. They can afford to experiment with giving Grant and McDermott larger roles.
Superstars are supposed to raise the level of play for role players. But they don’t have a magic potion that makes every average player better. You have to find the right role players that can complement them. And those role players can’t have glaring weaknesses begging to be exploited.
