Thunder weekly grades: Russell Westbrook surges, big men Ibaka, Kanter, Adams resurface

The Thunder finished the week at 2-1. Which players stepped up to join Westbrook on his personal assault on the NBA?

By Dustin Howell Mar 9, 2015, 9:36pm CDT

The Thunder have been riding the Russell Westbrook freight train, and it earned them a 2-1 record this past week. Who stepped up the most?

Game 1: Thunder need OT, but overcome hot shooting 76ers, 123-118

Game 2: Thunder slide late, fall to Bulls 108-105

Game 3: Thunder hold off Raptors at home, 108-104

***

KEVIN DURANT	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
DUSTIN		The positive here is that no news is good news.
SHERMAN		Kevin Durant continues to bring his celebrating A-game.

RUSSELL WESTBROOK	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	40.3	40.7	11.3	11.3	0.7	3.0	6.0	-5.3
DUSTIN		This man is a machine! Russ is playing at a level that hasn't been done since 1989 with MJ. The points and assist aren't the number that WOW's me however, he is reeling in +10 in rebounds every night. Those number would be good for any center in the league yet alone a PG!
SHERMAN		Ding Russell Westbrook if you must (and it's fair) for how he handled the end of the Bulls loss. I give him extra credit for finding himself in a nearly identical situation the following game against the Raptors and showing immediate growth by trusting his teammates. Sometimes a loss can be a win in the long run.

SERGE IBAKA	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	39.0	16.0	6.3	1.3	4.0	0.3	2.0	-3.7
DUSTIN		Serge seems to be finding his stride and playing at an efficient level as of late. This week he averaged 4 blocks which is above his season average however he should be averaging near double figures in the rebounding department.
SHERMAN		I'm not really sure what happened to Serge Ibaka against the 76ers, but if Westbrook hadn't gone supernova that could have turned into a bad loss. Otherwise, Ibaka is hitting his best stretch of the season, finally rediscovering his true identity.

ANDRE ROBERSON	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	18.7	2.7	2.7	0.3	0.0	0.7	0.3	-5.3
DUSTIN		Dre has been playing solid defense all season long and that didn't change this week. He forced DeRozan into missing his first 7 shots of the 2nd half on Sunday night and it set the tone for the rest of the team. Roberson is a tough player to grade because he is so 1 dimensional.
SHERMAN		Not much out of the ordinary for Andre Roberson this past week, but I agree with Dustin - that 3rd quarter stretch where he locked up DeRozan was the turning point in the game. Meanwhile, Robes will not be flogged for breaking Russ' face.

STEVEN ADAMS	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	1	16.0	6.0	6.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	2.0	+1.0
DUSTIN		The Big Kiwi returns. Had a solid 1st game back he was very physical down low and forced some really tough shots from the Raptors.
SHERMAN		Steven Adams was the other half of the key Thunder defensive surge in the 3rd quarter against the Raptors. In limited action, he brought everything that the Thunder have been missing on the defensive end, and had a crucial block-buzzer-beater sequence that put OKC in a great position to win.

ENES KANTER	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	26.7	11.7	7.7	1.3	0.7	0.7	0.7	-6.7
DUSTIN		Enes had a decent week. He was abused defensively against the Bulls bigs but he made up for the against the Raptors on Sunday night starting 6/6 and staying aggressive.
SHERMAN		Funny week for Enes Kanter. He's either completely useless or he morphs into a latter day Kevin McHale. His work in the Raptors win was exceptional, especially down the stretch.

DION WAITERS	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	33.0	11.0	4.7	2.3	0.0	0.7	1.3	+2.3
DUSTIN		Dion is a streaky shooter who could knock down big shots at any time. He made a very poor decision against the Bulls to hand the ball to Russ near mid-court with only 2 seconds left rather than call a timeout which ultimately lost the game.
SHERMAN		33 minutes per game? Holy moly, Brooks. He's our current version of Derek Fisher and it makes me want to cry.

DJ AGUSTIN	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	27.0	11.0	2.7	3.3	0.0	1.0	1.0	-0.7
DUSTIN		DJ has been a great addition and that showed this week. Great ball movement and great leadership for the 2nd unit.
SHERMAN		Here's the thing about D.J. Augustin. He's essentially shown why he's not quite a starter-caliber point guard. But that's ok, because that isn't what the Thunder need. Instead, they've got a perfect compliment to Westbrook, and I hope he keeps getting chances late in games.

NICK COLLISON	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	17.3	4.3	3.7	2.0	0.3	0.7	0.7	+9.3
DUSTIN		Nick was solid as usual. Gave some big minutes and played great defense. He also knocked down a huge 3 ball vs Toronto which is something he has been working on all season.
SHERMAN		Nick Collison has done as good a job as he can helping hold the Thunder front line together until Adams has returned.

ANTHONY MORROW	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	16.3	9.0	1.3	0.7	0.3	0.3	0.7	+13.0
DUSTIN		A-MO Started March exactly how he ended February. 50% from downtown for the week.
SHERMAN		Seriously, we couldn't give like 5 more minutes to Anthony Morrow at the expense of Waiters? Because here's the thing - it really doesn't even matter if he's shooting well. The simple fact that he's on the court and that he knows how to space the floor pays big dividends in creating offensive opportunities for others.

MITCH MCGARY	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	2	11.5	3.0	3.0	0.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	+11.0
DUSTIN		Mitch gave decent minutes. Seems to be a fan favorite at home which leads to a spark for the rest of the team. His minutes will probably start dwindling with Adams back in the rotation.
SHERMAN		This is a delicate time for young Mitch McGary. He's not always going to produce, but he needs to be given a chance every single game. The reason why is simple - you never know when he's going to get rolling and have one of those ridiculous personal runs where he gets 15 points and 8 rebounds in like 7 minutes.

KYLE SINGLER	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	3	17.0	1.7	3.3	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.3	+0.3
JUAN		Kyle didn't have a very good week. He seems to have the opposite problem of Andre he has no defense but can be a big contributor on the offensive end. Unfortunately his shot just wasn't falling this week.
SHERMAN		To whom much is given, much is required. We don't really require much from Kyle Singler.

PERRY JONES III	Games Played	MIN	PPG	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Average Stats)	1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	-3.0
JUAN		Had a good +/- to not do anything.
SHERMAN		Club trillion, new member.

TEAM GRADE	Record	OffRtg	DefRtg	AstRatio	REB%	TS%	PACE	+/-

(Advanced Stats)	2-1	107.6	106.2	16.8	50.9%	55.9%	100.4	+2.0
DUSTIN		The defense has been poor however they have been scoring the basketball at will and owning the points in the paint. Was a good week of basketball in the sense that New Orleans hasn't gained any ground on OKC.
SHERMAN		If the Thunder had held on for a win over Chicago, it would have been a sweet week, with two wins over playoff teams. Alas, we must be content with Westbrook morphing into some unnatural combination of Magic Johnson and Allen Iverson.


SCOTT BROOKS	Coaching Grade
DUSTIN		Scotty Brooks had a pretty good week other than the out of bounds play at the end of the Bulls game.
SHERMAN		I tend not to grade coaches too harshly about in-game adjustments because it can be so difficult to avoid unintended consequences. That said, one thing coaches CAN control is how they prepare for specific situations during practice, and if there is anything that Bulls loss showed us, it is that the Thunder don't practice those types of end game situations anywhere close to the diligence and exactness that they need to be.

SCOTT BROOKS

Coaching Grade

DUSTIN

Scotty Brooks had a pretty good week other than the out of bounds play at the end of the Bulls game.

SHERMAN

I tend not to grade coaches too harshly about in-game adjustments because it can be so difficult to avoid unintended consequences. That said, one thing coaches CAN control is how they prepare for specific situations during practice, and if there is anything that Bulls loss showed us, it is that the Thunder don't practice those types of end game situations anywhere close to the diligence and exactness that they need to be.

*All player images via www.usatodaysportsimages.com

Thunder weekly grades: Russell Westbrook surges, big men Ibaka, Kanter, Adams resurface

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