Andre Roberson is vital to future success of the Thunder

Contract year maketh the man

This one might be the subtlest story line behind Roberson’s value to the team this year. In fact, even Roberson himself will find it hard to prove its impact on his game play. But during his exit interview, Roberson revealed a part of his season that fans normally would not think of.

“After I didn’t get signed, I didn’t know what to expect… This is my first time going through that. Obvious you know, I see Steve and Vic get signed, do they want me, do they not want me. I was a little nervous.”

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Contrast this quote with all that has been discussed about Roberson so far. Yes, his shooting has regressed. But apart from that, he has really improved in just about every way you would expect him to. In some respects, I think that Roberson has a case for the team’s second best player this season.

Words will never hurt me

One way to think of this story line is that this uncertainty is what drove Roberson to push himself harder. That is probably valid. Players are normally incentivized to elevate their play during their contract year, and fair enough to them.

But Roberson’s heart has always been to return to OKC. Sure, he would like a contract raise. But he is also very well aware that the franchise has allowed him to develop steadily as a player. There should be no question about Roberson’s intentions – he would very much have liked to have had his contract extended before free agency.

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But the club’s inability to arrive at a deal with him would surely have worried him. The franchise is not one to mess around with free agency. As one of the three starters up for contract extensions, he could either have walked through the season feeling bitter that his efforts were not getting recognized, or insecure about how the club really saw his value.

And the thing is, maybe he did. Judging by his own words, Roberson sounded like not getting his extension unnerved him at least a little bit.

But that speaks even more of his professionalism as a player. Not only did he continue to play hard every night, but he stepped up into being a respectable locker room presence. Roberson even admitted that considering the makeup of the team, there were times when it felt like he was needed as a leader, even if it was out of his comfort zone. Judging by his performances on the court, especially on the defensive end, it sure seems like he succeeded in becoming that leader for the team.