OKC Thunder: Are They A Contender?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have played well this season, but are they a championship contender?

The OKC Thunder currently sit third in the Western Conference standings with a 35-13 record.

With a healthy Kevin Durant on the roster, the Thunder have gone back to being one of the most dominant teams in the NBA. But with the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors both chasing 70 wins, the Thunder have a lot of catching up to do.

In a typical season, the Thunder’s 35-13 record would likely have them in one of the top two spots. Exactly one year ago, 35 wins would have the Thunder in second place, just one game back in the standings.

But this is not a typical season, and OKC is currently seven games back from the Warriors in the win column. The powers atop the Western Conference have elevated themselves to a tier above the rest of the league, which makes it difficult to envision any other team winning the championship.

In order for the Thunder to reach that championship-level of basketball, they will need to make some changes.

First and most importantly, the shooting guard position needs to be addressed. Since the James Harden trade, the Thunder have yet to find someone to fill the void.

Most of the players that the organization has acquired to fill the void have been one-dimensional and unable to consistently contribute. Some of the players that have come through their doors include Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and Dion Waiters.

While each of these players has had some great moments in a Thunder uniform, none of them have been quite enough.

Waiters is still with the team, but he has yet to consistently shoot a high percentage or make an impact on the defensive end. If the Thunder hope to contend in a seven-game series with the Dubs, they need a player who can match Klay Thompson’s production on a nightly basis.

Since there is not one player to fill this void on the roster, general manager Sam Presti will need to make a deal before the trade deadline. Or, head coach Billy Donovan needs to find a way to adjust his rotation to give the Thunder backcourt a two-way player in both positions.

Some players the Thunder could target are Courtney Lee, Evan Fournier or even Jeremy Lamb. All of these players have performed more consistently than Waiters, and have the defensive capability the team needs.

It would take some serious negotiation to acquire any of these players, but the Thunder have the assets to acquire one piece before the deadline. If the team is truly in win-now mode, it is time to make a move before their title window closes.

Another area that the team needs to improve upon is their struggle with turnovers. This has been the Achilles’ heel of the Thunder for a number of years, and it is an area of the game that could keep them from advancing past the second round.

The Thunder are struggling in all aspects of the turnover battle, averaging 14.9 per game, which ranks 25th in the NBA. They also struggle to force turnovers on the other end, also ranking in the bottom third in that category as well.

Russell Westbrook has always been turnover prone, and that has remained true this season. His turnover rate per game is the second highest of his career, at 4.2. Westbrook is also dishing out over two assists above his career average, so the turnovers come with a tradeoff.

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If Russ and the rest of the team aren’t able to keep their turnovers in check, the Spurs and Warriors will dominate a playoff series with ease.

The old mantra is that defense wins championships, and for good reason. Out of the last 10 championship teams, all 10 have ranked within the top seven in defensive rating.

Entering tonight’s contest against the Rockets, the Thunder currently rank 12th in defensive rating. OKC’s defensive effort has been up and down over the past few years, unable to find any consistency from one season to the next.

If the Thunder hope to become true title contenders, they will need to step up their effort level on defense.

Effort is the only thing keeping this group of players from being a top-five defensive unit. Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka all have the physical tools to be All-NBA Defensive First Team, it is just a matter of the dynamics of the team.

With all of the effort KD and Westbrook have to put in on offense, it is hard to ask them to give full effort at all times on defense. They need to be able to lean on their teammates for help on both ends.

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In order to move up to the level of the Spurs and Warriors, the role players around OKC’s superstars need to step their game up. Until then, the Thunder will be stuck in limbo between the contenders and everyone else still trying to catch up.