The Durantless Thunder So Far

Save the missed walking call against the Lakers’ Nick Young, the Thunder and Rockets would enter tonight’s game with identical 15-7 records, each with a trending MVP canidate, and each with perhaps a chance at some point in this season of challenging the Clippers for third place in the West. Not bad considering both teams were thought to be in rebuild mode.

From that missed walking call in LA, Nick Young got himself injured and has become inactive as the Lakers are once again losing games and becoming more like the dumpster fire rebuild we thought they might be.

The Thunder of course, then went to Sacramento the next night and perhaps played one of the more horrific games in the franchise’s history by being blown out by the usually toxic Kings on Thanksgiving Eve. But since that putrid evening of noncommittal basketball vs the Kings, the Thunder have soared winning six straight as Russell Westbrook has tripled six straight games.

It hasn’t just been good basketball, it’s been historic basketball as the Thunder and Westbrook have the entire basketball world thinking it might just be possible for Westbrook to average a triple double for the season. Instead of mourning the loss of Durant to Draymond Green’s ball club in Oakland, Thunder fans are now obsessed with the history of Jordan, Magic, Wilt, and ultimately Oscar Roberston. This very well could be the millennials version of what it might have been like when like Joe DiMaggio hit in 56 straight games or Ted Williams hit 400.

If this Westbrook pursuit of Oscar Robertson continues up until the All-Star break–millennials across the NBA landscape will be a ga ga analyzing this era, that era, this style of ball, that style of ball, etc, etc. etc. Our same lovable millennials, the ones who handed the keys of the White House over to Billy Bush’s sex chat buddy will be forced to accept the fact Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and The Big O actually existed and weren’t covert agents involved with Ted Cruz’s father in the assassination of JFK. Clearly, that was a busy sentence.

The silver lining blessing in all of this is that our own Russell Westbrook of Bad Little Dude fame, the one who wears outfits like John Daly, the one who hits it hard, and the one who owns something like forty-three different pairs of eyeglasses without lenses in them, will be the catalyst for these millennials to actually learn something about basketball history and maybe learn something about how the game was played then and how it’s played now.

But it hasn’t just been Westbrook key to the Thunder streak. Anthony Morrow has filled serious scoring and spacing needs. It might not even be a stretch to call Morrow the mini-MVP during this streak of sixes. Anthony Morrow has been superb and if this team wants to continue their ascent upward much of the same will be needed from Morrow.

As much as I disparage Andre Roberson’s shooting on my blog–I’ll be the first to admit his offense and overall play of late has been outstanding. Enes Kanter has been excellent as well giving the Thunder bench a dependable double double threat to go with his bench mates of Lauvernge, Morrow, Jerami Grant, and Semaj Christon until the return of Cameron Payne.

Rookie Domas Sabonis gets more confidence every time he steps on the floor and has shown he’ll give the Thunder a stretch four who can shoot threes with the consistency of Serge Ibaka, but not with the price tag attached.

Victor Oladipo in my view has been the Thunder’s second best player as he’s learning to meld his game with Westbrook’s game and in no way impede triple double history, but at the same time subtly aid the Thunder in becoming the best overall team possible.

Steven Adams has been the Thunder’s third best player even though he’s struggled with ankle and hand injuries through the first twenty-two games. But Adams’ value goes beyond offensive stats as his rim protection, mobility, and defensive versatility make the Thunder whole on the defensive end.

In closing, I can’t really write I’m shocked by what the Thunder have done to date as I picked them to win somewhere in the neighborhood of 46-49 games and finish in either fourth or fifth in the West.

So as Durant and his co organic Bay buds Dray, Klay, and Steph frolick like playful otters inside Oracle, I have to say there’s a very warm, feel good holiday glow about the Thunder’s season so far in Oklahoma City. Thunder fans know a championship isn’t realistic, but the hope of a season of Westbrook and the Thunder flirting with Oscar Robertson’s historic season is a pretty exciting proposition considering how this city felt on July 5th after reading a shallow farewell from Durant on the Players Tribune.