Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season
By Simon Smith
4. The Thunder will search for a replacement for Andre Roberson
On the eve of what promises to be an exciting season, one of the Thunder’s most important players has suffered another setback.
Sidelined since January after rupturing his patella tendon, Andre Roberson recently experienced an irritation of the same knee that will require a further procedure. At this stage, he’s going to be re-evaluated in approximately two months.
This is an enormous blow for the Thunder, who when Roberson was on the floor last season were an incredible 11.2 points per 100 possessions better off on the defensive end of the floor.
Naturally, the initially reaction will be looking at the remainder of the roster to determine who will take his place in the rotation. One possible insertion into the lineup is second-year swingman Terrance Ferguson.
Andre Roberson had a setback in his recovery, per a Thunder spokesperson. The initial injury is said to be healing well, but he had an irritation from a suture that was creating discomfort that he couldn’t play through. He will be re-evaluated in two months.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) October 5, 2018
As a rookie, Ferguson made 12 appearances as a starter, averaging 20 minutes per game in this role. However, he registered a horrible 114.4 defensive rating over this span of games and overall posted a -9.6 net rating.
Still just 20, it’s unsure how prominent Ferguson’s role will be this season, although he has now started in the Thunder’s two opening preseason games thus far.
Another option is third-year guard Alex Abrines. In eight starts last season, Abrines was solid in averaging 8.4 points 26 minutes per game. Notably, the Spaniard shot at a 45.9 percent clip from long range during these games.
However, like Ferguson, Abrines struggled defensively in this role, returning a 112.6 defensive rating.
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The other option in replacing Roberson will be to search around the league for a suitable player who could be realistically acquired via trade. Last season, the team signed veteran swingman Corey Brewer off waivers shortly after Roberson went down.
However, with this avenue not applicable at this point of the season, general manager Sam Presti and the front office will have an important decision to make in the coming weeks if they are to make a move to secure a replacement.