Postgame 25: 12 of One, A Dozen of the Other

Thunder Win! 100-92

Leaders of the Night

OKC- Kevin Durant (41 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Blk)

Atlanta- Jeff Teague (19 Pts, 1 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Blk)

Box Score

Now that was a win.

Oklahoma City was obviously looking for revenge tonight against the Hawks. From beginning to end, save a scoreless stretch in the 3rd quarter where the Thunder couldn't buy a basket, OKC took it to the Hawks with force. 

Offensively, this wasn't much of a team game tonight. No other players other than Russell and Kevin got above double digits in scoring, but when you have the Durantula on your team, who needs scoring from role players. Durant exploded in the second half, showing exactly how Not Nice he really is. He would go on to score 40+ for the first time this season, lighting up Atlanta like a Christmas tree; just in time for the holiday season. KD would end up with 41 points and 13 rebounds at the end of the night. 

Regardless of a shooting slump in the second half, Russell started off with a BOOM, scoring with a fury and doing things such as this. He would end up with a double-double, scoring 27 points and registering 11 assists. Wolverine played with great control tonight, only having 3 turnovers and keeping the out of rhythm, off balance shots out of his game and taking nearly all good looks at the basket. 

Coming off his big game two nights before, Air Congo struggled to score much of anything tonight, going from a season high of 25 to shooting 2-9 and scoring only 4 points. Ibaka would be a terror on the boards, however, grabbing 14 of the Thunder's 52 rebounds. 

The real surprise tonight, even after Kevin Durant's 41 point game, was Scott Brooks wholesale roster change near the end of the 1st quarter. Along with normal bench players such as Thabeet, Maynor, and Martin, Brooks threw a curveball and played Jeremy Lamb for his most meaningful minutes this year. Lamb would go on to score 5 points with a sweet 3-pointer, showing either his trade worth or his worth in the rotation for Brooks. Nonetheless, the Thunder took the lead during that time and never relinquished it from there on. 

The Rookie Problem

 The Rookie Problem

One of the most documented occurrences in the NBA is the ongoing drama of players rookie season. This season defines what a rookie will contribute to his team and to the NBA as a whole for the rest of his career. The rookie can either become a offensive or defensive force, changing the landscape of his team and the NBA, or he can slip into non-importance, forgotten by his team, coach, and fans and only remembered as a bust. The rookie season can be deceiving. A great player can sometimes have not the greatest of NBA seasons. A great player can have a great rookie season and be a bust for the whole of his career. However, what a rookie learns in his first year in the NBA, what he experiences and how he defines himself will influence the rest of his career. 

The NBA draft is very inconsistent in being able to predict the success a player will have in his career. Many top 10 draft picks have busted and completely fallen from the conscience of the collective basketball community. Players such as Greg Oden, the #1 pick the year Kevin Durant entered the draft, come to mind. However, many picks outside the top 10 have been known to produce and even become great players, ones remembered in retired jerseys and HOF nominations. Former player Steve Kerr and current Spurs guard Manu Ginobli are justifications of such. So when determining the destiny of current rookies, it becomes hard to follow a trend, because there is none.

The Thunder, as they have been created in their current form, have focused on the most part on development of young players in a conducive environment that helps them harness their skills and their full potential. The likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and the current Houston player James Harden are prime examples of such. However, all of these current and former members of the Thunder were given ample time, a clean slate to build from in which development mattered and wins were second in importance. Kevin Durant was molded into a stone cold killer from arch, Russell developed into the conundrum of athleticism and carelessness that we all love dearly, and Serge Ibaka became "Air Congo", a one stop block machine. 

Unfortunately for the Thunder rookies, who the team picks up by the mere fact that they are included in the draft, there is little to no playing time available. Wins and championships are now what the Thunder has set it sights on, and the development of the rookies has fallen by the wayside. Minutes in close game no longer go to the rookies who are looking to learn, but to veteran all-stars who built the team from scratch. And so the Thunder has been plagued with the question, what to do? The lineups are quite strict, as can be deduced from any investigation of the way in which Scott Brooks coaches. The offense and defense are working their kinks out with new player in and traded players out, which warrants more time for the starting bunch. Now the Thunder have been given great talent, two top 12 talents, and have no room to develop. As can be seen with the garbage time on the floor during blowouts, even with no pressure these rookies are nowhere near ready to warrant playing time or even starting time. So with great talent sitting on the bench, the Thunder have backed itself into the corner. Either risk playing rookies to ensure valuable playing time at the expense of points and possibly wins, or continue to let the talent sit on the bench and allow potential to never be realized. 

Perry Jones III is an asset the Thunder picked up with the 28th pick in the first round of the NBA draft. Jeremy Lamb was a rookie that the Thunder acquired in the trade that included Kevin Martin and James Harden, Thunder role players (Cole Aldrich, Dequan Cook, Lazar Hayward) and draft picks from Houston. Both these players had great promise, Perry Jones III as a solid backup to Kevin Durant and Jeremy Lamb as another guard in the already potent stable of guards for the Thunder. However, the rookie problem has led to these players being destined for the bench, only kept on the bench for garbage time and seat warmers.

The rookie problem the Thunder have is not the worst to have. Many teams have rookies that compete and have excelled, but still have loosing records. However, it is one that should not be ignored. Having good back up is always a safe bet, and relying on your best players never to get or get into situations where  they cannot pay is not intelligent. It is the decision of the Thunder and Coach Brooks on whether not to play these rookies, but they will have to face the consequences of their actions down the road, and the decision will effect the Thunder in some way or another in the months and years to come.