Taj Gibson holds the key to the Thunder season
By Tony Heim
Taj Gibson was the heart and soul of the Chicago Bulls for seven and a half seasons. Now it’s time he impresses that mentality on the Thunder youngsters.
“Now, it’s off to OKC and a new chapter in my life and I’m so excited to see what lies ahead. All I can tell the Thunder fans is that you’ll get everything I’ve got every single day and I’m looking forward to our journey together!”
That’s the message Taj Gibson sent to Thunder fans when he found out he was coming to Oklahoma City. “You’ll get everything I’ve got every single day”…that’s what I want to talk about.
Russell Westbrook is the heart and soul of the Thunder, but he’s also the most talented player on the roster. It’s hard for young role players to empathize with a guy like that. But Taj is a different story.
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Gibson has alternated between starting and coming off the bench his entire career; he’s never complained about his role once. The 31-year old has built his reputation around the league on doing the dirty work: hard-nosed defense, diving for loose balls, taking charges.
Oklahoma City has another player like that in Steven Adams, but at 23 he’s the fourth-youngest player on the roster. Jerami Grant, Domantas Sabonis and even Victor Oladipo can surely learn from Adams, but the message is much more powerful coming from a tenured veteran like Gibson.
And that message is exactly what this Oklahoma City team is missing. What are their biggest strengths? Length and athleticism. The problem is they don’t utilize those attributes to their advantage.
The Thunder don’t swarm teams on defense. They don’t piss off opposing players because of their scrappiness. Nobody is coming to OKC worrying about leaving with cuts and bruises. But that’s exactly what should be happening night in and night out.
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We all know this team isn’t the most talented – basketball goes beyond talent. In this day and age where shooting reigns supreme, physicality has become the forgotten attribute in the game. If Taj Gibson can impress that on Grant, Sabonis, Oladipo, etc. it will make a tremendous difference on both ends of the court. Don’t you think Westbrook would notice his teammates’ effort and want to reward them on the offensive end?
If OKC is going to succeed in the playoffs this season they are going to have to change their mentality. It’s one thing to “do what I want” like Russ, it’s another thing to play for your teammates like Gibson.
Over half the roster are on their rookie deals. They are impressionable. They all want to win, but they don’t know how to yet. Taj Gibson does.
I’m not asking for a carbon copy of the Bad Boy Pistons; OKC would be playing with four players by the third quarter. But bringing that mentality to the NBA in the year 2017 would cause havoc for the other 29 teams.
Please Taj, teach your game to this team. And sooner rather than later. The future of the franchise hinges on you.
Next Story: Gibson and McDermott are the answer to OKC’s road problems