Andre Roberson Will Be Elite

One player who saw his stock definitely rise during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff run this season is Andre Roberson.

Now that the Oklahoma City Thunder have officially been sent packing from the 2016 NBA Playoffs, we can look back at their seven-game series with the Golden State Warriors and admire what we just witnessed.

This was one of the most entertaining battles in memory, and it had a little bit of everything. Blowouts, close games, star players struggling and shining brightest, as well as role players stepping up, it’s quite likely the Finals themselves won’t measure up to that titanic battle.

Although Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook got most of the headlines throughout that series (and rightly so), another of their lesser known players caught my eye as the series progressed.

It was not Steven Adams, although he was immense on both ends against the smaller Warriors with how he constantly fought for possessions in the paint. It wasn’t even Enes Kanter and his offensive prowess off the bench.

Even the surprising calmness and solid play of Dion Waiters couldn’t eclipse this guy. No, the one player who really can hold his head high after that tough series loss is Andre Roberson. The guard really came into his own during that series and was particularly useful in Game 6 of that series.

May 22, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) dribbles as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) defends during the first quarter in game three of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

It’s easy to be an afterthought on a team like the Thunder, who boast two of the top 10 players in the league in Durant and Westbrook. Throughout the regular season for Roberson, this was the case. He averaged 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22 minutes a game.

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He did so in the 70 games he played for the Thunder, starting all of those contests. Throughout the regular season he was consistent in that he was the workhorse of the starting five unit, a guy who worked hard on both ends and popped up occasionally with the easy bucket.

The series against the Warriors however, is when he truly broke out. Maybe not in the conventional way, his box score stats were still pedestrian, but his importance to this team both now and going forward was truly highlighted.

Rotations grow smaller the deeper into the postseason a team goes, yet Roberson played four more minutes a night than he did during the regular season. In Game 6, the one that got away from the Thunder and led to this collapse, he played 29 minutes.

That total would surely have been more, had he not gotten into foul trouble. He recorded five fouls in the game, but one was an intentional on Andrew Bogut to put the poor-shooting big on the line, while another one (arguably two) were bad calls by the officials.

He scored 11 points and had eight rebounds, again not huge numbers, but his movement was off the charts impressive. He constantly interrupted passing lanes, something that does not show up on the box score.

He also did a great job of following Klay Thompson around the court, a task that many more celebrated defenders have struggled to do consistently. Thompson had himself a night in game six, scoring a record 11 three-pointers. But Roberson did make it difficult for him, no question.

Andre Roberson burns Draymond Green on the alley-oop!https://t.co/Q1ylmWVDNI
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 31, 2016

That same high level movement was also seen on the offensive end throughout the series as well. We saw him pass out of a wide open three point shot late in game seven, and that should be held against him.

But his court IQ is so high, he was constantly one step ahead of his defender and cutting to the basket for easy looks.

You seriously need to sit down and watch Game 6 in particular to appreciate how his constant movement off the ball was a pain to the Warriors, while also allowing the likes of Durant, Westbrook and even Serge Ibaka to operate in more space.

This becomes even more noble, when you consider he’s not exactly getting many touches of the ball every trip down the court. Of the Thunder’s starting five, he’s last in the pecking order offensively.

This makes his desire and want to constantly move for the sake of his team something to be celebrated.

In some ways the Thunder never truly replaced Thabo Sefolosha after letting him go, but Roberson can grow to be more important to this team than Sefolosha ever was.

If he spends this summer adding any sort of consistent jump shot to his busy-bee style on the court, he becomes an even bigger issue for opponents to game plan.

Roberson’s defensive effort can also show up in the box score though, as his 12 rebounds (a team high) in that Game 7 loss illustrates. Really though, he’s the kind of player each team needs to win a championship and this is something the Thunder need to learn to appreciate quickly.

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He’s not likely to be the reason somebody like Durant

decides to commit

his long-term future to the team. But if Durant stays for at least one more season, Oklahoma City seriously needs to figure out the best way to utilize Roberson’s skills.

If they can do so, perhaps the team can go two steps further and win it all next season. He is that critical piece contenders need in order to compete at the highest level. Never complains about a lack of involvement offensively, and works harder than most on the defensive end.

His constant movement is critical on both ends for his team, even if he’s not seeing the ball a lot. He’s not a star, or even noticed by the casual fans during a game, but he’s more than a role player as well.

This is the kind of player than can be so difficult for playoff-caliber teams to find, yet the Thunder have one in Roberson.

He was arguably the most consistent player for large stretches of that seven game series against the Golden State Warriors. Now it is up to Andre Roberson to take the next step, and add real skill to his tireless motor.

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In doing so, he’ll be a key piece of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship hopes next season. More than that, he’ll be truly elite.