The 2017-18 iteration of the OKC Thunder possibly deepest ever

2011-12 Thunder

The Western Conference champions may have gone farther than any OKC squad. However, the team was incredibly top-heavy. Yes, Harden was the best bench player in franchise history, winning sixth man of the year. But aside from him, the team really just had Derek Fisher and Nick Collison to rely on. In the clinching game of the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio, Durant played all 48 minutes. In the finals, Durant and Westbrook both averaged 42 minutes a game.

One of the biggest criticisms of this series was the Kendrick Perkins played too much. He averaged 23 minutes a game, had an offensive rating of 96 and a  defensive rating of 114. Starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha was even worse. In 25 minutes a game, his offensive rating was 84 and a defensive rating of 113. This is what forced heavy minutes upon Durant and Westbrook, leading to the two stars being worn down by game five’s series ending blowout.

Had the Thunder had another couple of quality reserves, this series may have turned out differently. This team had no veteran backup in his prime. Harden was still just 22 and Collison and Fisher were both on the decline. The current roster has multiple bench players that are on the upside and about to hit their prime. Aside from Collison (assuming he comes back), there is no bench player past his prime.