The Oklahoma City Thunder and the uneasy, yet interest depth pieces

A quip: The Oklahoma City Thunder have “interesting” depth.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, at their best, have aspirations for the second round. Russell Westbrook is an elite player and Paul George is a level slightly below that. Those two, combined with Steven Adams and his ability to defend the rim and rebound gives them three players who currently carry the cornerstone of the franchise on their shoulders.
The ultimate question mark on their roster is their depth. The guys who can supplant Westbrook and George for a few nights during the regular season. Even as Oklahoma City sold Anthony as the “third star” on its roster, the Thunder struggled as Westbrook and George struggled. Now, as Oklahoma City moves on from Anthony, there are even more question marks on who can help on a nightly basis.
It’ll start with Dennis Schroder. The piece acquired in the Carmelo Anthony trade, Schroder finished last season with 19.4 points and 6.2 assists as Atlanta’s lead guard. While the fit alongside Westbrook is questionable (Both he and Schroder shot under 30 percent from three), Schroder will have plenty of chances to operate the offense as the team’s sixth man.
In a league where non-shooters are treated like the plague, the Thunder have three in the rotation. Andre Roberson is returning from injury and his defense was all-world, but still, his lack of shooting has been exploited at points throughout his postseason career. Jerami Grant has been a surprise as a high-level defensive player who can play any of the frontcourt positions, but still, 29 percent shooting is a concern.
The most intriguing of the bunch is Nerlens Noel. After turning down a max contract from Dallas the last offseason, Noel turned in a poor season and settled for a two-year deal from Oklahoma City. Despite on and off floor woes, Noel is an active defensive player who can play the passing lanes and pester opponents at the rim. At 23 years old, this is a chance for him to regain his footing for a larger contract.
Then you have shooters in Patrick Patterson and Alex Abrines. Patterson was Oklahoma City’s “smart” signing. As a combo forward, Patterson was seen as a floor spacer who could take advantage of Westbrook and George’s gravity. Instead, Patterson struggled to 3.9 points and 38 percent shooting from the floor. There’s hope for him to adapt and he still shot well from three, but he’ll have to improve his overall play. Same for Abrines, who knocked down 38 percent of his 468 threes, but struggles to get open, and in turn, struggles to truly provide value if his shot isn’t falling.
It makes for an interesting rotation that feels one piece off. That could easily be covered with some slight improvements from Abrines and Patterson or even a better-than-normal shooting season from Grant, but you can’t predict that. The Thunder feel ways away from the best teams in the conference (Golden State, Utah, Houston), while also feeling in their own tier, away from the Los Angeles, New Orleans and Minnesota’s of the world.
The Thunder will be an interesting test study because of their roster and having “interesting” depth. While Westbrook, George, and Adams will lead the charge in every game this season, it’ll be up to their bench and rotation pieces to truly take this team up a level this upcoming season.
