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Andre Roberson is vital to future success of the Thunder

By Gideon Lim

Oct 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) reaches for a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder won 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) reaches for a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder won 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 23, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) drives to the basket between Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) and forward Andre Roberson (21) during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) drives to the basket between Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) and forward Andre Roberson (21) during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Captain of the defensive ship

In his exit interview, Andre Roberson talked about his move from shooting guard to small forward this year. He reminded Thunder fans that coming into the league, being played at the 2-guard position itself was foreign to him. He spent most of his college years playing power forward, presumably to compensate for his lack of shooting.

Roberson spent the first part of his career guarding ball-handlers and wing shooters. During those first three years, the Thunder mostly stuck to a traditional two big men lineup. This formation meant that Roberson did not need to slide up to guard small forwards the way many other 2-guards around the league had to.

In other words, his job was mostly to defend the harder guard assignment in order to free Russell Westbrook up.

Man down, next man up

This year has been a completely different picture. Donovan has tried to work around rotation deficiencies by experimenting with line-up permutations. The one man holding all of that together has been Roberson and his versatility.

Sometimes, Donovan runs with line-ups featuring Victor Oladipo, Jerami Grant and Roberson. These hyper-switchy line-ups work around Roberson’s ability to switch onto anybody. Other times, Donovan runs with Enes Kanter and Steven Adams at the same time, neither of whom are strong out on the perimeter. The defensive strategy then changes and the three perimeter players are called to avoid switches at all cost.

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Most of the times, centers are seen as a team’s natural defensive leader. But for the Thunder, it is a different story. The truth is Roberson has been the Thunder’s defensive captain all year. Positionally, he is expected to mesh lineups together by making up for any defensive inadequacies.

On the court, he leads by example. Hustle plays, calling out defensive rotations, providing help defense. Roberson has literally done it all this year in his first year as the heartbeat of the Thunder’s defense.

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