While the Oklahoma City Thunder have been dogged by injuries, it’s still very surprising to see them below the .500 mark at 18-19. Originally, everything was pinned on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook missing significant playing time, but with both stars back in the lineup, the Thunder are just 6-6 in their last 12 games.
This team will have to scramble to make the playoffs as they’re still three games out and New Orleans and Phoenix have proven to be resilient. It’s not a longshot, but it’s not guaranteed, either. What are the main problems with this team, other than the injuries themselves?
1. Scott Brooks
This is the biggest liability for the Thunder. Brooks has continuously showed that he’s just not at the level of other coaches in the NBA. He had one really good moment in 2012, when he found ways to counteract the San Antonio Spurs and Gregg Popovich in the Western Conference Finals, guiding the Thunder to their only NBA Finals appearance. Other than that series, however, Brooks has been unable to find ways to unlock the considerable talent at his disposal.
One of the particular faults of Brooks is that he fell in love with Kendrick Perkins, and only now have the Thunder been forced to realize that Steven Adams has to be the big man of the future. Brooks has never seemed to trust Nick Collison with extended minutes, and in his shuffling of the lineup, he has moved away from a smaller, quicker lineup in which the Thunder have had more offensive options. Brooks could be fired if the Thunder miss the playoffs. He’s got time to turn it around but right now, this team doesn’t look championship-worthy.
2. Reggie Jackson Pouting, Defense
It is becoming common knowledge in and around the NBA that Reggie Jackson is an albatross for Oklahoma City, not necessarily in terms of statistics but in terms of attitude and defense. Jackson has been doing a lot of complaining about his role with the Thunder. He has openly said he wants to be a starter on an NBA roster. Though he did provide a huge lift for the team last season in a backup role, that was partly because he started dozens of games when Russell Westbrook got injured in the middle of the season. Now that Westbrook is back, Jackson is unhappy.
What’s more is that he is just not helping this team on defense. He has a defensive rating of 103.9, which is the worst among regular players on the Thunder roster. With Jackson off the floor, the Thunder have a 96.4 defensive rating, a huge improvement. Given that Dion Waiters has just been acquired, Jackson’s days in OKC are numbered, but for now, he’s still a big problem. The team needs to get value for him in a trade.
3. Serge Ibaka’s Limitations
The Thunder were great when Ibaka joined a healthy Westbrook and a healthy Kevin Durant on the floor, but when those two players were injured earlier this season, Ibaka was not willing to be the alpha in the room. Ibaka is clearly a player who is comfortable as a helper but he doesn’t like to have all the responsibility and pressure. Remember, the Thunder decided to keep him instead of James Harden but Harden has proven to be a leader in Houston while Ibaka has proven to be just a member of the case – albeit an important one.
Ibaka is the key to this team’s inside game and if he’s not a presence on the interior, then the Thunder are much easier to slow down on the perimeter. His numbers are all down from last season’s career-highs of 15.1 points per game and 8.8 rebounds, and the fact that he’s scoring just 3.4 points per game in the fourth quarter is hurting the team. They need more from him.
