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Thunder weekly grades: Reggie Jackson, Serge Ibaka lead, but who follows?

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The Thunder struggled to a 1-2 record this past week. Which players stepped up, and which struggled in these costly losses?

By JuanToribio and Ali AlShowaikh
/ new

The Thunder finished the week at a disappointing 1-2. What can we glean from player performances?

Game 1: Thunder offense falls asleep vs Bucks, lose 85-78

Game 2: Thunder rely on big 2nd half to overwhelm Celtics, 109-94

Game 3: Thunder start fast, finish cold and lose to Pistons in OT, 96-89

***
SERGE IBAKA Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 35.7 14.7 7.0 1.0 1.3 0.0 1.7 -4.3
JUAN
grade_A
Serge Ibaka is doing a good job in the absence of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. He has seemed to become more of a leader and the team needed that. His numbers weren't crazy this week, but he was solid, as he usually is.
ALI
grade_A
I really like the job Ibaka is doing so far. He's energetic and keeps a lot of effort and commitment into his game. He's also doing a great job getting himself involved more in the Thunder's offense with Westbrook's and Durant's absence. He also clears many of the Thunder's mistakes.
STEVEN ADAMS Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 27.0 7.3 7.7 1.0 2.3 0.3 2.0 -9.0
JUAN
grade_Bminus
I'm an offensive guy so I would really like to see Steven Adams get some more points on the board. But, I think that will happen when the defense has to double team either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook.
ALI
grade_B
Adams totally deserves the starting spot. However, his ability to contribute in helping the Thunder offense is inconsistent. He's struggling from the field, but overall his performance met my expectations as he can guard his matchup and play his role as a center by grabbing rebounds and protecting the paint.

REGGIE JACKSON Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 42.3 25.7 3.7 8.0 0.3 1.3 2.7 +1.0
JUAN
grade_A
I don't know if it was the ice-out a couple of games back, but whatever it was, it worked. Reggie Jackson is looking to get paid this offseason and he's making a good case for himself right now.
ALI
grade_A
Nearly flawless. He's one of the major reasons that keeps the Thunder offense moving forward. He's the player who's filling Westbrook absence and fully meeting our expectations. He's so impressive and totally reliable. I Just doubt whether he can be consistent in playing at the level of play.
JEREMY LAMB Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 32.0 11.3 6.3 2.3 0.0 1.7 2.3 -4.3
JUAN
grade_Aminus
I've always been a fan of Jeremy Lamb and that still rings true. Lamb is finding his way and he's been a lot more consistent. We all know he can score, but he's playing the passing lanes and rebounding well. I've liked what I've seen from Jeremy Lamb so far. Hopefully he can keep that up throughout the season.
ALI
grade_Aminus
All credit goes to Jeremy Lamb who's finally forming a reliable offensive production from the shooting guard spot. He overcame 2 very bad games early in the week to record his best game as a pro vs the Pistons. His offense is much more consistent. He's providing the team with another dependable offensive support beside Jackson which is helping the Thunder in moving forward.

KENDRICK PERKINS Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 21.0 4.3 5.3 1.0 1.0 0.3 1.0 +9.0
JUAN
grade_Aminus
Kendrick Perkins won't fill a stat sheet, but he's playing hard. That's all we could ask for from Big Perk.
ALI
grade_A
He's doing a great job so far. Scott Brooks might consider to regain him his starting role. There has been games where he scored in double digits and grabbed rebounds in double digits as well. Finally he's filling his role as a center in the proper way by scoring points off the post.

NICK COLLISON Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 19.7 5.0 1.7 2.3 0.0 0.3 0.3 +2.7
JUAN
grade_Bplus
Another guy that won't fill up a stat-sheet is Nick Collison. We say this for years, but it's simply the truth. I'll tell you what tho, every team needs a Nick Collison because he's awesome.
ALI
grade_Bplus
Collison is old but he's impressive in terms of being on the perimeter and passing the ball to the players, which increases the ball rotation on the team. However, I'd like him to see him get involved offensively and simply score easy buckets.

ANTHONY MORROW Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 27.3 16.0 2.7 0.7 0.0 0.3 0.7 +5.3
JUAN
grade_Aminus
Anthony Morrow dropped 28 points on the Celtics this week and he did it in ways other than shooting (although he hit 4 three's.) Morrow goes cold at times, but shooters shoot the ball and right now, I don't mind Morrow taking a good amount of threes.
ALI
grade_Aminus
Anthony Morrow so far is exceeding our expectations offensively, but the issue is that when he gets cold, he really becomes devastating, and that is what happened in the game against the Pistons.

SEBASTIAN TELFAIR Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 11.7 2.0 1.0 1.7 0.0 0.3 0.0 =5.0
JUAN
grade_Bminus
Underwhelming week for Sebastian Telfair. He has a couple of weeks left at being the backup, and he might be competing with Ish Smith for a roster spot once Westbrook comes back.
ALI
grade_Bminus
Since Jackson is back on the squad, Telfair isn't getting much of playing time. He keeps on struggling in producing offense, but does a good job in guarding his opponent as well as help his team by dishing out easy assists.

ISH SMITH Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 1 9.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 -3.0
JUAN
grade_B
Ish Smith has elite speed but that's pretty much his game. I still like him more than Sebastian Telfair and like I mentioned above, I think it'll be interesting how that plays out once Westbrook is back.
ALI
grade_B
New Thunder signee played against the Bucks only and sadly was out against the Celtics and Pistons. Based on the game he played against the Bucks in which he had 3 points in it only. I liked the fact the can shoot the balls and rebound it as well. He also had one steal which slightly indicates that he can emerge as a great offensive and defensive player on the roster if he gets many playing minutes.

LANCE THOMAS Games Played MIN PPG REB AST BL ST TO +/-
(Average Stats) 3 28.7 4.7 6.3 2.3 0.0 0.3 1.3 +7.3
JUAN
grade_Aminus
I'm all in the Lance Thomas fan section. Thomas has been awesome for the Thunder and Scott Brooks has really relied on him a lot. He does a lot of small things for this team and that's great.
ALI
grade_Bplus
Sadly, he keeps struggling in scoring points and helping the Thunder offense but for a matter of fact, when the Thunder are in a victory mode, he can totally be reliable. He had 7 points and 13 rebounds against the Celtics.

Thunder_medium

TEAM GRADE Record OffRtg DefRtg AstRatio REB% TS% PACE +/-
(Advanced Stats) 1-2 94.3 97.2 15.9 47.8% 48.3% 92.7 +0.3
JUAN
grade_Aminus
It's hard to win games with so many people hurt, but this team does a great job of playing hard and has kept fans engaged. Hopefully we're getting close to bringing in the backup so we can see what this team is really made of.
ALI
grade_A
Although the team's record might not be that good. However, the entire team is playing hard with full enthusiasum all along with commitment and effort. Also, almost the entire team is progressing which is a positive sign for the Thunder. Therefore, I'm actually satisfied with the Thunder's performance so far.

SCOTT BROOKS Coaching Grade
JUAN
grade_Aminus
Not enough good words to describe what Scott Brooks has been able to accomplish. The record might not reflect it, but some people don't understand how hard it is to win in this league and to keep your team motivated. Especially when you lose your top two guns.
ALI
grade_Aminus
Scott Brooks is really dealing with a tough situation with the Thunder. Yet, he's still obtaining wins with the Thunder at that terrible situation. He's supporting the team off the court and on the court. Also, he's one of the main contributors in the development of the players.

*All player images via www.usatodaysportsimages.com

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Thunder 2014-15 Regular season weekly player grades

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