Oklahoma City and Kevin Durant are looking the goods at the halfway point of the NBA season. Can they keep it up?
Last year when Russell Westbrook went down after sustaining a knee injury against Houston in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Kevin Durant wasn’t prepared to play without his All Star teammate by his side.
He simply hadn’t needed to do it; Westbrook amazingly hadn’t missed a single game in his five-year career up until that point.
This time around, KD is playing like he a man on a mission, a player that won’t stop until he has reached the summit by getting that ring!
When the Thunder need a basket, it’s Durant who delivers more so than any other player – often fighting through double teams to do so.
Durant is in the midst of the best shooting streak of his career, having scored 30+ points in his last 12 outings. For me though, it’s his all-round game that is the reason the Thunder have improved so much since last season.
He has always been able to score, but seeing him dish out assists is a new feather to his cap. He started to improve on that last season, but he has taken another step further again this season.
Durant is averaging a career high 5.2 assists per game, and his turnover rate is the lowest it’s been in the last three seasons.
If you don’t enjoy watching Kevin Durant go to work, I’m not sure why you would bother watching basketball!
Although Kevin Durant is the main reason the Thunder are currently boasting the best record in the very crowded Western Conference, the lesser known, role players deserve a lot of credit too.
Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb are far from household names but these two have stepped up this season, and even more so since Westbrook has been out.
Jackson has been Westbrook’s back-up since coming into the league in 2011, and has done a serviceable job in that role.
Jackson has exploded this season in his new role as starter with Westbrook sitting out. Jackson’s minutes have been close to doubled compared to last season, and his numbers don’t disappoint.
The jump from last seasons stats are pretty impressive; in 2012-13 he averaged 14.2 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.7 assists and 0.4 steals per game.
So far this season he is averaging 27.5 minutes, 13.4 points, 4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. I don’t know about you, but that’s what I call taking advantage of your opportunities.
Over the course of the season, it’s been great to see his confidence in handling the ball and setting up his team grow.
Don’t be surprised if Jackson is moved to the starting two-guard position when Westbrook returns.
Jeremy Lamb was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 draft, but was traded to OKC in the James Harden deal.
Coming out of college, Lamb was seen as a kid with huge potential, and it is exciting for Thunder fans to see that he is showing signs of reaching that potential.
He is certainly a long way off being a consistent night in, night out performer but his last few games have provided OKC with a big boost off the bench.
In his last four games, Lamb has scored 19, 5, 14 and 18 points respectively. In all those games Durant has stolen the show, but Lamb’s shooting efficiency has been just as good as Durant’s (bar one outing of 22% from the field).
Lamb has shown growth this season, as has just about every Thunder player; KD, Jackson, Serge Ibaka and Perry Jones, just to name a few.
It’s scary to think that this team still has Westbrook to welcome back.
If OKC can continue to play as a team and with the focused mindset they are currently displaying, I have no doubt that they will be the toughest team to pass to get out of the West and face the Pacers or the Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals.
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