Post-Harden Thunder to Start Being Tested
By Rafael Uehara
The Oklahoma City Thunder is the hottest team in the NBA at the moment. They lead the league in wins, with 20 victories in 24 games, behind the most potent offense and a defense ranked in the top third. When general-manager Sam Presti traded James Harden three days before the start of the season, some wondered whether the franchise’s honcho was screwing up the team’s contention status for this season. So far, things have turned out to be fine.
Kevin Martin’s deadly three-point shooting (47.4%, third in the league) has fit the Thunder’s offense as a glove and Serge Ibaka has also stepped up in the absence of last season’s sixth-man of the year award winner (14.6 points per game on 58.4% shooting over an average of 10.4 shots per game, all figures career-highs). And Martin hasn’t been nearly as destructive on defense as some projected. According to NBA.com/advancedstats/, the Thunder have allowed no more points per 100 possessions with Martin on the floor than with him on the bench. Check it out, the ratings are the exact same.
As both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook continue to evolve their games into making those around them better through their playmaking – both are averaging career-highs in assists, head-coach Scott Brooks has had them replace Harden’s ball-handling in units where the now-Rocket used to lead charge. The development of Durant and Westbrook have also been particularly important because Eric Maynor, a guy they counted on making up for some of what Harden took to Houston, hasn’t played well in his return from knee surgery that sidelined him for most of last season.
But context is meaningful here. According to USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin, the Thunder have played the easiest schedule in the league so far. They are currently on an 11-game winning streak but even as they had to go through some entitled opponents such as the 76ers, the Nets, the Lakers, the Pacers and the Spurs on the way, that was still only the 21st toughest path in the NBA over the stretch, according to John Hollinger’s power rankings.
The post-Harden Thunder will begin to truly be tested over the next 40 days. Oklahoma City is scheduled to play 16 of its next 22 games on the road, starting on Wednesday against the Hawks, Thursday against the Timberwolves and on Christmas Day in Miami. In these next 22 games, they will play 16 teams tagged as legit postseason contenders. Late in January, they will go on a six-game road trip featuring the Mavericks, the Nuggets, the Clippers, the Warriors, the Kings and the Lakers as opponents. Then they will be back home to play the Grizzlies on the 31st.
It’s not the Thunder’s fault that they have played the softest schedule around up until this point. They played who stood in front of them and did what they were supposed to, post a .833 winning percentage. The undeniable improvements on the all-around games of Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha turning into a plus-performer on offense (with his 41.4% three-point shooting over 70 attempts) indicate that Oklahoma City is just as good a team as last season. They will now be able to prove that this assumption is true over the next month-and-a-half, when they will have a shot at every good team in the conference.
Editor's Note: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of 'The Basketball Post'. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara or reached via e-mail at rafael_uehara@live.com
The Oklahoma City Thunder is the hottest team in the NBA at the moment. They lead the league in wins, with 20 victories in 24 games, behind the most potent offense and a defense ranked in the top third. When general-manager Sam Presti traded James Harden three days before the start of the season, some wondered whether the franchise’s honcho was screwing up the team’s contention status for this season. So far, things have turned out to be fine.
Kevin Martin’s deadly three-point shooting (47.4%, third in the league) has fit the Thunder’s offense as a glove and Serge Ibaka has also stepped up in the absence of last season’s sixth-man of the year award winner (14.6 points per game on 58.4% shooting over an average of 10.4 shots per game, all figures career-highs). And Martin hasn’t been nearly as destructive on defense as some projected. According to NBA.com/advancedstats/, the Thunder have allowed no more points per 100 possessions with Martin on the floor than with him on the bench. Check it out, the ratings are the exact same.
As both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook continue to evolve their games into making those around them better through their playmaking – both are averaging career-highs in assists, head-coach Scott Brooks has had them replace Harden’s ball-handling in units where the now-Rocket used to lead charge. The development of Durant and Westbrook have also been particularly important because Eric Maynor, a guy they counted on making up for some of what Harden took to Houston, hasn’t played well in his return from knee surgery that sidelined him for most of last season.
But context is meaningful here. According to USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin, the Thunder have played the easiest schedule in the league so far. They are currently on an 11-game winning streak but even as they had to go through some entitled opponents such as the 76ers, the Nets, the Lakers, the Pacers and the Spurs on the way, that was still only the 21st toughest path in the NBA over the stretch, according to John Hollinger’s power rankings.
The post-Harden Thunder will begin to truly be tested over the next 40 days. Oklahoma City is scheduled to play 16 of its next 22 games on the road, starting on Wednesday against the Hawks, Thursday against the Timberwolves and on Christmas Day in Miami. In these next 22 games, they will play 16 teams tagged as legit postseason contenders. Late in January, they will go on a six-game road trip featuring the Mavericks, the Nuggets, the Clippers, the Warriors, the Kings and the Lakers as opponents. Then they will be back home to play the Grizzlies on the 31st.
It’s not the Thunder’s fault that they have played the softest schedule around up until this point. They played who stood in front of them and did what they were supposed to, post a .833 winning percentage. The undeniable improvements on the all-around games of Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha turning into a plus-performer on offense (with his 41.4% three-point shooting over 70 attempts) indicate that Oklahoma City is just as good a team as last season. They will now be able to prove that this assumption is true over the next month-and-a-half, when they will have a shot at every good team in the conference.
Editor's Note: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of 'The Basketball Post'. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara or reached via e-mail at rafael_uehara@live.com
Posted by Rafael Uehara at Wednesday, December 19, 2012 1:25:54 PM 
Categories: NBA
Tags: Rafael Uehara
Categories: NBA
Tags: Rafael Uehara
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