PG - Russell Westbrook
Westbrook was a very interesting pickup in this draft. He was sort of like the opposite of Boston's Rajon Rondo and his Draft journey. When Rondo was drafted two years ago he saw his stock climbing leading into the draft only to slip to 21st in the first round. He then blossomed as a sophomore into a key starter on last year's Championship Boston squad by simply being a steady, reliable pont guard. Westbrook, however, saw his draft status climb late in the game but actually saw his stock get him taken at the top of the first round by OKC at four. He's not much of a star in the making, which is usually what teams reach for that high, but after nearly ten years of well-reputed lottery busts many NBA teams are becoming more conservative with their drafting and Westbrook is a classic example of that. He's a sharp player, a solid defender and a reliable - if unspectacular - floor leader. It's odd that a team would pin their future hopes of the position on a guy that could easily turn out to be the second-coming of current Thunder player Earl Watson but that is exactly what makes this such an interesting pickup. The team passed on guards like Jerryd Bayless and D.J. Augustine to grab Westbrook - which gives one an example of how highly they feel about him - so the pressure is on him to prove it was a wise investment.
SG - Jeff Green
Green didn't exactly have the year that most anticipated that he might in his first NBA season. He was brought in (via the Ray Allen-to-Boston trade) to be the more reliable, steady rookie alongside the explosive-yet-raw Durant. However, Green struggled, at times mightily, and never found a groove all season long. He started by coming off of the bench and then moved into the starting lineup but his numbers were only mildly improved by the move (his rebounds and shooting percentages actually went down) despite playing ten more minutes per game. The Thunder are going to have to be able to rely on Green to provide much more consistency in year two, and if he is unable to provide it then Desmond Mason will be more than happy to take this spot right out from under him.
SF - Kevin Durant
There is a somewhat logical explanation for a Sophomore Slump. If a player is successful in their first year, especially a player who has such seemingly limitless potential like Durant does, then expectations for that player simply reach unattainable levels. Combine that with the fact that NBA opponents now have a very intricate idea of everything that the player is going to try and do on every possession and the deck simply becomes stacked against the second-year pro. When a player can have a breakout rookie campaign and follow it up with an even better sophomore one then he becomes a truly special player worth watching. While most assume that Durant will be able to meet that challenge, that is exactly the kind of expectation that set-up disappointment. Durant should be allowed to a margin for error this year, especially given how wretched the talent around him is, and if he manages to thoroughly surpass last year's achievements then all the better for him for doing it.
http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=250538&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nba
