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If only this week were simply marred by a tired loss to the Raptors. Alas, we also had the news that Russell Westbrook has undergone a 3rd surgery on his knee and throws the Thunder's season into a great level of uncertainty. We take a look at how each player performed over this past week and look ahead for what they'll need to do in the weeks to come.
Game 1: Thunder see win streak snapped by Raptors, 104-98
Game 2: Thunder overwhelm free-falling Knicks on Christmas Day, 123-94
Game 3: Thunder hang on vs Bobcats, 89-85
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KEVIN DURANT | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
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(Average Stats) | 3 | 29.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Durant had a Christmas Day party in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. He was clearly the best player on the court and when a team's game plan is to "stop" you like JR Smith said and you still drop thirty, you're a monster. Only thing that kept KD from an A+ game was the Raptors loss. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
The Raptors loss was ugly but Kevin Durant's work in New York and Charlotte were things of beauty. Durant has been on a tear on Christmas Day and gave the Knicks faithful a show that surpasses anything they've seen in their own colors. On top of that, Durant had another one of those 4th quarters in holding off the Bobcats. |
REGGIE JACKSON | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
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(Average Stats) | 3 | 11.3 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 8.3 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Reggie Jackson didn't have one of his best weeks, but these weeks that follow are going to be crucial. With the loss of Westbrook, all eyes will be on the emerging Jackson to fill that slot yet again. I personally don't think thats fair, but it comes with the territory. If Jackson plays at a high level, his stock in the open market will go way high, if not, it will hurt the Thunder in the standings. Big weeks coming up for Jackson and the Thunder. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
Reggie Jackson recently commented that he sees himself as a starter in the NBA. Well, being a starter, or playing starter-level minutes, comes with a cost. The cost is that with expectations comes criticism, and there is plenty of it this past week. Jackson saw his shooting percentage slump to 23.9% from the floor and a slightly better 25% from 3-point range (while taking over 5 of those 3's per game). This, simply, will not do. Jackson needs to get back to better shot selection than trusting in his mercurial ability to hit weird shots. |
STEVEN ADAMS | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
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(Average Stats) | 3 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 5.3 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Steven Adams has been the fan favorite since the first day of training camp, mostly because they wanted him to replace Kendrick Perkins, but that hasn't been the case and it likely won't be until maybe next season. Adams is a really solid player and he's had a really good rookie season, but 3 points per game and 3 rebounds is pretty much what we should expect from him until he gets more experience. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
Steven Adams' numbers haven't changed much from week to week, and that can be seen as both a positive and a negative. In the negative sense, I think all Thunder fans were hoping that he would have outpaced Perkins by now, especially on the offensive end. It hasn't quite happened yet. The positive thing though, and the important thing, is that Adams has really helped solidify the bench unit's overall defense while cutting down on his turnovers. In fact, Adams' play has been so consistent that he's actually earning Rookie of the Year consideration. |
DEREK FISHER | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
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(Average Stats) | 3 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.7 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Let me start off by saying that with the Christmas Day shirts, Derek Fisher looks like a body builder and his play this week wasn't too weak, either. Fisher will have an increase of minutes with Westbrook out and he's always stayed ready so it shouldn't be much of a problem. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
Derek Fisher did not have a bad week this past week, despite seeing an uptick in his minutes per game. Of course, that's not what we're really worried about. What we're really concerned with is what is going to happen to Fish when he gets an additional 5 minutes per game and the offense looks to him to hit shots. Derek Fisher, man. Is there any way we can get the Spurs on the schedule for an additional 10-15 times? |
PERRY JONES III | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Average Stats) | 3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Like Sherman will state on the comment below me, Perry Jones just has to produce when he gets the chance. His defense hasn't been bad, but he needs to start attacking the rim and catching lobs to go with the defense. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
All things considered, even with Coach Brooks saying that PJIII is his potential utility defender, Perry Jones needs to figure out ways to produce when he gets the minutes. He got on average 10 minutes per contest, yet his production was strangely low. Specifically, in 10 minutes of play against the Bobcats, Jones managed to record a 10 trillion in the box score. He's got more to offer than that. |
ANDRE ROBERSON | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Average Stats) | 1 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Andre Roberson lives to see another week with the Thunder instead of getting sent down to the D-League, but he'll likely be used more in the next week against some better perimeter players. He's going to have to capitalize on the opportunity because a bad showing will probably get him sent back to Tulsa. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
If defense is the new name of the game, then Andre Roberson should be in the mix. The Thunder need to dispense with thinking about outscoring teams like the Rockets and Trail Blazers. To have a shot, they have to think about how they're going to shut down the likes of James Harden and Damien Lillard. Roberson can help with that. |
TEAM GRADE | Record | OffRtg | DefRtg | AstRatio | REB% | TS% | PACE | +/- |
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(Advanced Stats) | 2-1 | 107.7 | 95.6 | 17.6 | 52.6% | 55.8% | 97.29 | +9.0 |
JUAN | ![]() |
The Raptors loss is inexcusable, but they did finish off the week with two wins. The loss of Russell Westbrook really hurts, but now its time for the younger players to get a bigger role. Having Kevin Durant on your roster isn't such a big thing, either. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
The Thunder slipped up against the Raptors, but that can be forgiven because it is incredibly hard to meet all on-comers on a game to game basis, especially when in dealing with a team like the Raptors, they see you as a season-defining opponent. OKC righted things a bit in their massacre of the Knicks, then barely held on over the Bobcats. Winning is better than losing, but I have to think that facing the Rockets and Blazers to close out 2013 is a step above and beyond. The Thunder can do it, the question is how? |
*All player images via US Presswire
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