Today’s OKC Thunder and Their Historic NBA Counterparts

Apr 13, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward

(35) stands at attention with his team during the playing of the National Anthem before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

*This post is the brainchild of Jake Fielder (@reddsix) and is a mix of both his historic comparisons and mine.

It’s one of the great American pastimes of the great American pastime, the inevitable comparison of athletes from different eras. How would Tom Brady fare against Joe Montana? Does Joe DiMaggio stack up against Derek Jeter?

In basketball, the analogies are made more frequently, often under the assumption the game hasn’t changed that much. Look no further than Russell Westbrook’s recent brush with history, when he logged five triple-doubles in six games and drew immediate comparisons to a player, Oscar Robertson, who once averaged a triple-double for a whole season. Stacking up this player versus that one can sometimes fall flat, like mismatched apples to oranges.

But if you look closely, you might find more appropriate comparisons, ones that seem to fit if you squint your eyes just right and ignore the different rules of the game and levels of athleticism. You do it because it’s fun and because that’s a part of why sport plays such an integral role in the lives of millions.

So why not do it with our very own Oklahoma City Thunder?

We took the current 15-man roster and tried to come up with the most appropriate comparisons to players from NBA history – to that end, we couldn’t include any player that had been drafted after 1990.

Here, ranked from 15th to 1st, is the OKC Thunder roster and their counterparts from NBA history.

Next: #15 - The Lanky Perimeter Shooter