2015 Oklahoma City Thunder Review: One Last Look
By Shawn Woods
Offensive Real Plus Minus vs. Defensive Real Plus Minus
There is a lot of noise with ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus stat, but at the very worst it can give a general idea of a player’s ability. A player with a plus-minus is the impact on a team’s performance per 100 possessions. It is not supposed to be a ranking system to determine which player is better, but merely a player’s impact in his current role.
Offensively, Westbrook’s impact was almost as large as any single player to his respective team. His defense struggled last season, but any player that carried as much of a load as Westbrook did would struggle defensively.
It’s easy to forget what Ibaka had to do for the team at the beginning of last season. With Lance Thomas playing significant minutes for the team at the beginning of last season, Ibaka was forced to try to carry the team on both ends of the floor. While he wasn’t able to do that on the offensive end, Ibaka was one of the reasons the Thunder were able to stay close to the playoff race until the very end.
As has been mentioned with any talk about the Thunder this off-season, Kanter doesn’t impress when looking at the defensive side of the court. While Kanter produced at an above average level on offense, his defense suggests that he was a negative impact overall last season. A summer with the Thunder’s training staff and fully healthy roster may turn his impact around, but Kanter needs to improve to at least an average level to justify him getting significant minutes.