HOOPSAHOLIC

Oklahoma City Thunder fans can finally take a deep breath, because it sounds like the reinforcements will be coming a little bit sooner than expected. Reports from The Oklahoman indicate that both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant participated in the Thunder's practice on Monday and there's a chance they could play on Friday night against the Knicks if their evaluations go smoothly. 

Well when it comes to winning, it means just about everything! The Thunder are off to a horrid 3-12 start and have the second lowest win percentage in the league behind only the Sixers. OKC has patched together a lineup which features players such as Sebastian Telfair, Lance Thomas, Andre Roberson and Ish Smith and has seen heavy minutes from Kendrick Perkins. The lone playmaker on this Thunder team has been Reggie Jackson, who was two rebounds away from a triple double in the Thunder's three point loss to the Warriors on Sunday. Jackson can only do so much, and the guy who was really supposed to step up was Serge Ibaka and we really haven't seen that happen. In a previous HOOPSAHOLIC blog post I criticized the play of Ibaka: 

I don't need to remind everyone that both Durant and Westbrook are two of the top five players in the NBA, so their nearing return will be monumental to this team and the city. Right now the Thunder are fighting valiantly, but struggle to create their own shot or scoring opportunities. The Thunder rank last in the league for points per game, averaging only 89.6 a night. KD and Westbrook can both get shots up at will and hit them at a high clip, so that scoring average will increase substantially when the duo returns. Not only will they be getting their shots up, but both stars will help set up other guys for easy scoring opportuinites as well. Players such as Steven Adams and Roberson will find it easier to score when their defender is busy double-teaming either of the Thunder's all-stars. KD and Westbrook are also world class passers that can fit the ball in tight spots. Many times last season and this preseason we saw Durant or Westbrook drive to the hole and dump it off to Adams for an easy flush, or one of the stars connected with Roberson who was slashing for an easy layup. The top video to the right shows Westbrook dishing a stellar pass to Perry Jones after Westbrook sucked in the defense on his drive to the basket. The second video shows Durant getting the defensive attention then passing it to Serge for an easy score. Those are the type of easy points the Thunder will be able to get with their studs back in the lineup. Even Jackson will find himself with easier opportunities to score now that the opposing team's best defender won't be guarding him. 

Despite the lack of shooting success for this depleted Thunder team, the defense has been a subtle bright spot. OKC is currently ranked fifth in the NBA, only giving up 94.9 points per contest. The stifling defense of this club has been the primary reason they've been to compete with teams late into the fourth quarter. The Thunder were able to hold Golden State to 15 points less than the 106 points per game average the normally score on a nightly basis. The increased effort has been there from this ball club even though that effort isn't translating into W's. That alone will bode well for the Thunder as the season trucks along down the final stretches. Role players on this OKC team have garnered valuable experience on both ends of the floor, which should ultimately result in a better overall team once everyone's back and healthy. Players have also been able to see what being the bottom feeder is like, which should provide extra motivation to win. 

I really hope I'm not speaking too soon when saying this, but the health of this OKC team couldn't be coming at a better time. Durant and Westbrook returning ahead of schedule will surely serve as an umbrella to the rainstorm that the 2014-15 season has brought OKC so far. Say that they each waited until late December to return like many thought the stars would. That would be 12 more games that Durant and Westbrook would miss and eventually have to dig themselves out of down the stretch. 

After a series of bad breaks to start the season, it looks like the Thunder are finally getting some good news. Now, all of OKC needs to pray that the cities heroes will reign supreme and stay healthy for another fantastic playoff run.   -BC