Andre Roberson, the heart and soul of the OKC Thunder defense, finally was recognized for his efforts.
The lowkey MVP finally got his due. The NBA announced their All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams Monday afternoon; Andre Roberson was named to the All-Defensive Second Team.
This is Roberson’s first time being named on one of the two teams. The 25-year old was categorized as a guard his first three seasons because of the Thunder roster, but moved to small forward this season.
It’s a shame this happened or else Roberson would have likely been on the First Team. Instead he’s stuck behind Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green, two world-class defensive forward who hold a ton of name value. Yet another reason to be upset with Kevin Durant.
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Leonard and Green received 192 of the 200 first place votes while Roberson received 3 First Team votes and 47 Second Team votes. His 53 total points (First Team votes received 2 points and Second Team votes received 1 point) were 18 more than Giannis Antetokounmpo, the other forward on the Second Team.
The duo is joined by Tony Allen, Danny Green and Anthony Davis. The First Team is compromised of Green, Leonard, Patrick Beverley, Chris Paul and Rudy Gobert.
This is great news for Roberson and bad news for the Thunder; it was to be expected however. The restricted free agent is one of the five best defenders in the NBA and this announcement secures that sentiment. His asking price on a new contract may go up a couple million, something Oklahoma City simply can’t afford.
But now is not the time to think about that. Let’s be happy for our Lowkey MVP and congratulate him on his much-deserved accomplishment. Kudos to you Andre Roberson.