The idealised vision of the Thunder emerges in flashes – a furious, frenzied squad of length, athleticism and physicality, magnetised to the rim.
Russell Westbrook’s mania becomes contagious, and his violent pace infects teammates. They crash the offensive glass, protect the rim, and play with force. And while the team is propelled by Westbrook’s feverish spirit demon, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony provide the polish and the ice, the subtle knife to complement Westbrook’s bazooka, to make OKC a threat to anyone, even an old friend.
The appearances of this team have been fleeting, occasionally manifesting in full-game displays – like the euphoric destruction of the Warriors on national TV – but mostly limited to quarters and three-to-four minute stretches. Yes, there is the powerful frenzy sometimes. But most of the time it’s just a lot of standing around.
Carmelo Anthony isn’t a star and he hasn’t been for a while. He’s a dynamic offensive threat, but one whose nuance is fading. The hesitation moves and jab steps used to be a prelude to something transcendent. Now they’re just a prelude to hesitation, and some more jab steps.
But Melo is still too good and too refined to be merely a trigger-happy floor spacer. That should be his primary role, but he should be allowed to breathe as a secondary weapon, one who attacks creases in the defence and runs an occasional pick and roll.
Everything is dying in the Thunder ecosystem. There is no sophistication, no hint of talent being astutely cultivated. Everything is a black hole, and no plants can live in Billy Donovan’s offence.
For Melo, it’s either space the floor or go to work in the mid-post. For Paul George, it’s either shoot the ball or make something happen. For Russell Westbrook, it’s go and do whatever the hell you want.
(Wikipedia Commons)
Like the first year of the LeBron Heat, the Thunder have devolved into my-turn-your-turn on offence. Westbrook, George and Anthony are so talented, and Steven Adams so impactful when they miss, that the Thunder will roll out of bed to an above-average offence. But for them to do anything in the West, and not just be a ‘team that loses to the Timberwolves in six’, the talent needs to be weaponised.
Right now it isn’t, and no clear avenue towards greatness, or even frightening decency, easily presents itself. The Heat fell into place when Dwyane Wade became a secondary playmaker and devoted cutter and Chris Bosh embraced the three-point line and rim protection.
Paul George’s skill set is malleable enough to fill almost any role. Carmelo Anthony’s is not. And as powerful as Wade and Bosh’s deference was, it only worked because LeBron James was there to empower them.
It is unclear whether Russell Westbrook makes those around him better. Westbrook is magnificent, an overwhelming physical and psychological force who makes every game winnable by virtue of his sheer presence. But beyond the breathtaking rim chargers, the physics-defying pull-ups, and general purposeful world angriness, is a lot of standing around and a lot of selfish indifference.
When Westbrook doesn’t have the ball, he does not exist. He stands disinterested behind the arc, waiting for someone to press fast forward to his next scene in the film. Westbrook should be the most dynamic cutting guard in the league. Instead, when he should be cutting, he sleeps.
His effort on defence goes from briefly existent to non-existent, limited to one exertion per possession. His counting stats are still almost dirty in their ‘Rondoness’, remarkable numbers tainted by the fact that the player responsible is exceedingly aware of them.
With a different cast, Westbrook’s shortcomings might not be as problematic. But as the leader of a team whose supporting stars are George, still prone to frustrating passivity at times, and Anthony, who has a lot of the same problems as Westbrook, it is infectious.
All superstars have their unique deficiencies, whether it’s Stephen Curry flinging the ball into the stands or James Harden crawling into his warm cave of late-game step-back threes. But their weaknesses are idiosyncratic, not as sweeping as Westbrook’s, whose fault seems to be ‘mindset’.
If Oklahoma City wants to go anywhere this season, their champion’s flaws need to become more specific.
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