Oklahoma City Thunder: Dynamic Duo Still Elite

The Oklahoma City Thunder are flying under the radar in 2015-16. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are elite, but where do they fit in the title picture?

For years now, the Oklahoma City Thunder have cemented themselves as the likable NBA powerhouse that most people want to see succeed.

Kevin Durant is a once in a lifetime talent and an extremely likable guy (when he’s not bashing the media, that is), and because people spent so much energy excessively nitpicking Russell Westbrook‘s game, the more popular avenue became defending him and soaking in his electric play with a simple “#LetRussBeRuss.”

But for a myriad of reasons, the Thunder have been unable to ascend to the top of the NBA’s Mount Olympus. From the James Harden trade to the injury bug to the Golden State Warriors’ meteoric rise as the league’s new titanic force, OKC’s star tandem has been demoted to demigod status.

This is, of course, ridiculous. Everyone knows that when healthy, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are quite possibly the most dynamic 1-2 punch that any NBA team can offer. But with each passing day, the knowledge we thought to be conventional shifts further away from Durant and Westbrook’s heavy usage attack and closer to what the Dubs have discovered in Oakland.

Just a few years ago, the notion that people would pick a Stephen Curry–Draymond Green duo over Durant and Westbrook seemed laughable. Maybe it’s still outlandish to some, but the gap is now closer than they’d think.

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For years we’ve watched the Thunder’s dynamic duo toil away only to come up short in the playoffs every time, and even with Billy Donovan at the helm, that plan of attack doesn’t look like it’s going to change much.

To be fair, it’s pretty much always been a winning formula in Oklahoma City. Dating back to the 2010-11 season (and including 18 games this year), the Thunder have played a grand total of 412 games. Here’s a look at how successful they’ve been based on Durant and Westbrook’s availability:

• Overall:  277-135 (.672 win percentage)
• With Durant (345 games):  243-102 (.704 win percentage)
• Without Durant (67 games):  34-33 (.507 win percentage)
• With Westbrook (361 games):  247-114 (.684 win percentage)
• Without Westbrook (51 games):  30-21 (.588 win percentage)
• With Both (311 games):  220-91 (.708 win percentage)
• Without Both (16 games):  6-10 (.375 win percentage)

A few things stand out. Despite one injury-devastated season for each of their superstars, the Thunder were lucky to have only been forced to play 16 games without both. That does little to comfort OKC fans waiting for that first championship to come, but with both players healthy, the Thunder have won nearly 71 percent of their games.

In a full 82-game season, that’d be good for about 58 wins on average — a number that’d be even higher if these nagging injuries hadn’t been so on-again, off-again, if they hadn’t struck in the middle of seasons to disrupt the team’s sense of continuity and flow.

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This season, the Thunder are somewhat flying in under the radar. That “give the ball to KD or Russ and let them go to work” stereotype may be exaggerated a bit, but when that attack plan does rear its ugly head, it seems old and archaic in comparison to the ball movement and team defense of contenders like the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.

Still, even if OKC’s early 11-7 record doesn’t scream “contender,” the Thunder are 8-4 with Kevin Durant healthy. They’re the league’s second ranked offense, putting up 107.3 points per 100 possessions, and are also ranked second in field goal percentage (46.9 percent), third in net rating (6.7) and ninth in three-point percentage.

Even better, lineups featuring Westbrook and Durant have outscored opponents by a total of 119 points in 369 minutes of action, which trails only 13 other two-man lineups throughout the league — eight(!) from the Warriors, three from the Detroit Pistons and two from the Cleveland Cavaliers, per NBA.com.

Individually, Westbrook is putting up the best numbers of his career, averaging an unconscious 27.6 points, 9.8 assists, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game on 46.8 percent shooting. Other than his scoring numbers, those are ALL career highs.

He’s second in the league in assists per game, he’s more efficient than ever despite his 30.9 three-point shooting percentage, he’s already dropped 48 points this season, and yes, he deserves extra points for punishing the rim like it stole something each and every time the opportunity for a dunk presents itself:

As for KD, there were concerns about how he’d return from the Jones fracture in his foot that sidelined him for 55 games last season. Though a hamstring injury made him miss six games already, he’s been nothing short of elite in the 12 games he did play, averaging 28.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.

Even better, he’s on pace to join the 50-40-90 club for the second time in his career thanks to his jaw-dropping .522/.473/.911 shooting splits. Twelve games is obviously a small sample size, but the point remains: Kevin Durant, when healthy, is an MVP candidate, and having another one playing right beside him obviously doesn’t hurt.

Thanks to Curry’s hot start, this duo has relatively flown in under the radar. But they rank second and third in Player Efficiency Rating, and they’re both in the top-five for points per game and offensive win shares. Oklahoma City’s dynamic duo is as lethal as ever.

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Whether that means the Thunder are legitimate title contenders is another question, however. There’s no doubt in a world without the Golden State Warriors, they’d be at the top of the conversation with the Spurs and Cavaliers.

But the Dubs have usurped OKC as the average fan’s favorite team to root for, not only because they’re entertaining as hell, but because they play the game of basketball the way we’re realizing it was always meant to be played. Their stunning seven two-man lineups that lead the league in point differential is a testament to their depth, talent, chemistry and outright dominance.

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The Thunder, for all their star power, aren’t quite at that level yet, and if you feel like the window is closing in OKC, you’re not alone. There’s no doubt that with a healthy Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, OKC is good for around 55-60 wins and a top seed in the West. But, as always, the question remains whether or not that’s enough to actually win a championship.