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The current product of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball may not be so pretty on paper, but there’s something there when you take a gaze at this team in action. They’re gritty, prideful and full of heart. Those traits may not always result in wins, but they do result in giving the city of Oklahoma and Thunder fans worldwide a sense of hope for their team.
The Thunder are currently struggling without their two superstars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but they’re getting healthier by the day. Reggie Jackson recently returned to the court, and he’s expected to be joined by Jeremy Lamb and Anthony Morrow shortly. While the team’s record may surely suffer over the course of the next month and half or so, there are many things for the Thunder and their fans to be happy about.
Although it’s tough for this team to play night in and night out with a limited number of players, all hope isn’t lost. Most would say that not much good will come out of the Thunder’s stint without Durant and Westbrook, but I beg to differ. What this team is getting is something it badly needs — experience outside of the top two players. Anyone who has watched the Thunder play so far this season has seen that this team has a lot of fight, and their younger players are looking good, despite their not so good record.
Perry Jones has been most impressive, averaging 18.5 points and four rebounds on better than 46 percent shooting from the field. The Thunder have had a gaping hole on the offensive side of the ball since they traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets. That hole is getting smaller with each and every game played this season. Jones will be force coming off the bench alongside Lamb, that is of course if his eye-opening play continues to last as the season progresses. That will then give OKC that extra punch they’ve been longing for since the Harden trade.
Along with Jones blossoming into a fine player, the Thunder have also seen improvements with adding Steven Adams into the starting lineup. That move also has Kendrick Perkins playing harder, although his time on the court has been reduced. Adams will be ready to handle the pressure of playing with KD and Westbrook once the time comes. His 9.0 PPG may not jump off the stat sheet, but his numbers will definitely improve once the stars return to spread out the floor on the offensive end.
Players like Lance Thomas, Sebastian Telfair and Andre Robinson are also getting time to develop as they handle starter-like minutes for the time being. They’ll be more than ready to fulfill their role — even if it is a small role — once Durant, Westbrook and the remaining injured players return to duty. To say that this Thunder team is a failure is surely a mistake. Win or lose, this team is growing everyday. You can see the excitement mounting on these players’ faces during games. The scoreboard will never be able to explain just how important the extra time on the floor is for the young and inexperienced players of the Thunder. This team may be better than ever as a result of everything going on at the moment. When Durant and Westbrook return — which should be around the same time — the Thunder will instantly be back in the mix and ready to make a run for their first NBA Championship.
Brian Anderson is an NBA writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrAnderson035 “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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Oklahoma City Thunder Have Much Work To Do, But Showing True Grit
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