March 3, 200917 yr Actually, I have a couple of questions in this thread? Durant first. In his second season, his posting some pretty strong numbers (rookie stats in parenthesis). Points - 26.0.......(20.3) Rebounds - 6.6........(4.4) Assists - 2.9........(2.4) Turnovers - 3.2........(2.9) Steals - 1.2........(1.0) Blocks - 0.8........(0.9) FG% - .487........(.430) 3PT% - .436.......(.288) FT% - .862.......(.873) Minutes - 39.5......(34.6) He's had 13 double-doubles this year. There has only been two games when he hasn't scored double figures...he scored 9 points in 22 minutes on 1/7 and he scored 6 points in 8 minutes on 2/27 before spraining his ankle. In the 17 games prior to his injury (from 1/16 through 2/24), his stats are phenomenal. One game under 20 points...13 times over 30 points, including a 46 and 47 point performance and 6 double-doubles. In his last 17 games... Pts - 32.3 Reb - 7.7 Ast - 4.1 TO - 3.2 Stl - 1.5 Blk - 0.7 FG% - .526 FT% - .876 3Pt% - .467 Min - 43.0 If you look at his numbers through his career to date, its obvious that he's getting better and he's getting better fast. He's largely overlooked because Oklahoma City sits at 15-45, good for 4th worst in the league and 2.5 games ahead of the last place Sacramento Kings. So, where does he rate right now? How long until he's a consensus top 5 player in the league? And, does that hinge on his team winning more, which leads to my next question...
March 3, 200917 yr Author ...how long before Oklahoma City starts to become a factor in the Western Conference? This team has an impressive young nucleus. Even if the roster stays as is they're going to get better with some experience for their young guys. But, they have the foundation in place to be a major factor for years to come if they make the right personnel moves with free agency and the draft...especially when you consider that some of the recent powers in the west are getting older and in decline. Consider their main trio of talent... Kevin Durant - 20 years old in his second season Jeff Green - 22 years old in his second season, averaging 17 and 7 this year Russell Westbrook - 20 years old, PG with huge upside, averaging 16, 5 and 5 as a rookie This team bears close watching over the next couple of years, IMO.
March 3, 200917 yr Author Never was much of a fan... :lol: I thought you might appreciate this thread...:deadhorse: Seriously...is he a top 5 player in the league right now? If not, how long until he is, because if he isn't, it's only a matter of time.
March 3, 200917 yr Author Not yet, but it won't be long... As soon as Oklahoma City hits the .500 neighborhood, if not sooner... His last 17 games prior to the sprained ankle is pretty amazing. His shooting percentages are very impressive as well. Better than 43% from long range...
March 3, 200917 yr Durant is a stud, and the Thunder are one of my favorite NBA teams. They'll be able to get a good big man in this year's draft, and will have some of the best young talent in the NBA. How about Durant, Green, Westbrook & Thabeet / Griffin? Griffin is probably more "NBA ready", but Thabeet could be a solid NBA big man if somebody is willing to be patient with him. Problem is, the Thunder probably need a guy who can help them win now.
March 3, 200917 yr Isn't he only 20 years old right now too? If they would have kept Chandler and done well w/ this year's pick they would have approached .500 next season IMO. Westbrook might be the rookie of the year. Durant has a pretty high ceiling, but it's below LBJ, Wade,.....and well that might be it. His 3 pt % is staggering. I don't see him being in OKC after his rookie contract though.
March 3, 200917 yr Author Durant is a stud, and the Thunder are one of my favorite NBA teams. They'll be able to get a good big man in this year's draft, and will have some of the best young talent in the NBA. How about Durant, Green, Westbrook & Thabeet / Griffin? Griffin is probably more "NBA ready", but Thabeet could be a solid NBA big man if somebody is willing to be patient with him. Problem is, the Thunder probably need a guy who can help them win now. I don't know. Their three best guys right now range from 20-22 in age...I think they could afford to go with Thabeet and wait for him to develop. Of course, I think Thabeet would help them win right now as well. His defensive presence alone would be a huge upgrade...they've got some guys who can give them offense. Assuming they had their pick, I'd be OK with either guy. However, there's no guarantee they'll get either. Most likely those guys are going 1-2. The Thunder could hit anywhere from 1-7 if things stay as they are... If they do get one of the top two picks (and both big guys are available), this team could be dangerous in a hurry. Regardless, they have 3 firsts and 2 seconds over the next two drafts. If they make the right moves, they should be on their way. That is, of course, assuming they keep the key players on the current roster.
March 3, 200917 yr Author Isn't he only 20 years old right now too? If they would have kept Chandler and done well w/ this year's pick they would have approached .500 next season IMO. Westbrook might be the rookie of the year. Durant has a pretty high ceiling, but it's below LBJ, Wade,.....and well that might be it. His 3 pt % is staggering. I don't see him being in OKC after his rookie contract though. I wouldn't put his ceiling below Wade.
March 3, 200917 yr I don't know. Their three best guys right now range from 20-22 in age...I think they could afford to go with Thabeet and wait for him to develop. Of course, I think Thabeet would help them win right now as well. His defensive presence alone would be a huge upgrade...they've got some guys who can give them offense. Assuming they had their pick, I'd be OK with either guy. However, there's no guarantee they'll get either. Most likely those guys are going 1-2. The Thunder could hit anywhere from 1-7 if things stay as they are... If they do get one of the top two picks (and both big guys are available), this team could be dangerous in a hurry. Regardless, they have 3 firsts and 2 seconds over the next two drafts. If they make the right moves, they should be on their way. That is, of course, assuming they keep the key players on the current roster. Hasheem Thabeet is a few years away from being a big time player in the NBA. You saw what Dejuan Blair did to him, and he'll be going up against guys much bigger & just as strong (or stronger) than Blair on a nightly basis. Add that to the fact that he'll be expected to do it for 82+ games, and I think Thabeet will struggle early on. I think he has a very, very high ceiling, though.
March 3, 200917 yr Author Hasheem Thabeet is a few years away from being a big time player in the NBA. You saw what Dejuan Blair did to him, and he'll be going up against guys much bigger & just as strong (or stronger) than Blair on a nightly basis. Add that to the fact that he'll be expected to do it for 82+ games, and I think Thabeet will struggle early on. I think he has a very, very high ceiling, though. I do agree that he has a bigger learning curve and Griffin is more ready right now. I intended to make two points, though... 1. Althought his immediate impact would likely be less than Griffin, Thabeet can help the Thunder right now with his defensive presence and rebounding. 2. With a young roster that needs more experience, I think they could pick Thabeet and give him time to develop. The immediate return might be lower, but the long-term payoff could be higher.
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